Piotr Owczarek

Articles

Climatic nad human impact on episodic alluviation in small mountain valleys, The Sudetes

Kazimierz Klimek, Ireneusz Malik, Piotr Owczarek, Edyta Zygmunt

Geographia Polonica (2003) vol. 76, iss. 2, pp. 55-64 | Full text

Further information

Abstract

The Sudetes are a mid-mountain range located in the temperate climatic zone of Central Europe. Deep valley sides are covered with a thick mantle of peri-glacial regolith. Migrating cyclones cause intensive rainstorms, debris flow and floods. Geomorphological and sedimentological traces of a previous large flood have been found in the upper course of the Bila Opava and Bela valley floors, which drain the northern slope of the Hruby Jesenik massif, 1000-1400 m a. s. 1. Dendrochronological investigation has shown that this large flood took place around the turn of the 20th century. Meteorolo-gical archival records have confirmed that extremely heavy precipitation occurred here on 9 July 1903.The periglacial regolith covering the steep, deforested slopes were the source of the coarse-grained clastic material supplied into the Bila Opava and Bela river beds.

Keywords: climatic and human impact, mountain valleys, alluviation, braided river pattern, Sudetes

Kazimierz Klimek, University of Silesia , Earth Sciences Faculty, ul Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland
Ireneusz Malik, University of Silesia , Earth Sciences Faculty, ul Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland
Piotr Owczarek, University of Silesia , Earth Sciences Faculty, ul Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland.University of Silesia , Earth Sciences Faculty, ul Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland
Edyta Zygmunt, University of Silesia , Earth Sciences Faculty, ul Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland