Volume 18 (2014): Issue 1 (March 2014)

This article analyses recent trends in coastal urban growth, mainly prompted by tourism in its various forms, experienced along the Spanish Mediterranean coasts and the Canary Islands, with a special focus on the Balearic Islands. The article seeks to measure and compare the differential rates of urban growth between island and continental coasts during the period 1990-2006, coinciding with the latest major economic growth cycle in Southwestern Europe, and where real estate and tourism activities have played a central role. The results suggest that the degree of urbanization in island coastal regions analysed is lower than that of mainland coastal regions.

An observed trend, which can be defined as tourist interest in natural hazards and disasters, has persuaded the authors to attempt to research several issues, including tourist motivations and specific tourism properties and functions of this form of activity. The objective also covered the allocation of this social and natural process in the general structure of tourism. This interest has a long history, and a new stage is currently forming, which partly results from factors affecting society, such as information and education, which provoke antagonistic reactions. Extreme natural phenomena entail a common reduction of tourist interest in the destination which hosted the event; however, it never drops to zero. Differences are visible depending on the type of phenomenon. On the other hand, natural hazards and disasters are considered to hold a specific tourism value. This article discusses the allocation of this human activity in the tourism forms known to scientists, accounting for its diversity and relating to ethics.

The article presents the main organisational, epistemological, and methodical principles assumed by one of the two scientific editors of the Atlas de la Nouvelle-Calédonie, and the problems they faced. The presented solutions may be useful to the authors of similar projects in the future.

The article is devoted to the territorial organization of the manufacturing industry during its transformation from an industrial to a post-industrial phase of development - as one of the most urgent issues of economic geography at the turn of the 21st century. This period was characterized by the acceleration of human output beyond the industrial system and by the regrouping of its driving forces. Post-industrial development of developed countries in many respects determined the changes in the sectorial, institutional and spatial structures of the global industry. At the same time, industrialization acceleration occurred in developing countries, including at the expense of the “transfer” of productions in a number of industries from more developed countries. This article analyses the changes in the distribution of the manufacturing industry on a global and regional level.

The article presents the process and effects of the emergence of smart specialisations in the Silesian and Warmian-Masurian Voivodeships. The starting point is the analysis of smart specialisations in the context of the development theories, which is followed by a discussion of the specialisations of the two voivodeships. This leads to the establishment of several doubts concerning the future situation of the peripheral region presented in the article.

The objective of this study is to analyse the spatial diversity and temporal variation of evapotranspiration in the catchment of the Nurzec River in the years 2001-2010. The study is based on MODIS images highlighting monthly accumulated values of evapotranspiration, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and land use categories. Monthly evapotranspiration was calculated for the whole catchment as well as in different land use categories. The study focuses on assessing the relationship between the values of NDVI and evapotranspiration. The annual ET according to MODIS varied from 392 mm to 458 mm. Deciduous broadleaf forests have a higher ET than other land use categories. The analysis shows a strong correlation between monthly ET and NDVI.

Sedimentological and geochemical research carried out in North- West Mazovia, central Poland, allowed the determination of landscape transformation in relation to the history of human settlement. The types of sediments subject to analysis included palaeochannel filling, accumulation on the river floodplain and colluvial deposits. The absolute ages of sediments and their sedimentological features allow the conclusion that the first response to human activity in the area is recorded in the overbank deposits in the Skrwa River valley as a result of the Wielbarska Culture in 200-300 AD. Subsequently, fan accumulation at the mouths of gullies started around the 12^th-13^th centuries AD. Frequent changes of sediment properties have been observed since the early Middle Ages. The subsequent anthropogenic impact on homogenous deposits is recorded in increased heavy metal concentration in vertical geological profiles.

Evidence of climatic health hazards on the general population has been discussed in many studies but limited focus is placed on developing a relationship between climate and its effects on occupational health. Long working hours with high physical activity can cause health problems for workers ranging from mild heat cramps to severe heat stroke leading to death. The paper presents the possible risk of heat hazard to outdoor workers, using the example of Warsaw. The heat stress hazard, defined by WBGT values above 26 and 28°C and UTCI above 32 and 38°C, is assessed from two perspectives: its spatial distribution on a local scale and its temporal changes during the 21st century due to climate change. City centre and industrial districts were identified as the places with the greatest heat stress hazard. The number of heat stress days in a year (as predicted for the 21^st century) is increasing, meaning that heat-related illnesses are more likely to have a direct impact on workers’ health.