Geographia Polonica (1978) vol. 41

The role of land use in varying the suspended load during continuous rainfall (Kamienica Nawojowska catchment, flysch Carpathians)

Wojciech Froehlich

Geographia Polonica (1978) vol. 41, pp. 27-38 | Full text

The Carpathian river valleys experience catastrophic floods every few years. Floods are the result of continuous rainfall with daily amounts exceed-ing 100 mm (T. Niedźwiedź, 1972). Floods play the major role in channel transformation and they are moving waste materials accumulated in the val-ley-floors at flood-free intervals (K. Brykowicz et al., 1972; W. Froehlich, 1972; M. Gałka, 1973; M. Klimaszewski, 1935; M. Niemirowski, 1972; L. Starkel, 1972; M. Woźnowski, 1935; A. Zierhoffer, 1935; T. Ziętara, 1968, 1974). Both intensity and magnitude of the waste removal process is reflected in the sus-pended sediment transport. During floods the Carpathian rivers can carry more than half of the material transported per year (J. Brański, 1968; J. Cyberski, 1969; W. Froehlich, 1972; Z. Kajetanowicz, 1938; A. Welc, 1972; H. Ziemska, 1928). For this reason, detailed studies of the then removed material are neces-sary to know the extreme intensities of the present-day waste removal from the Carpathian flysch catchments.Both the activities of man and land use affect the transport of materials by rivers (J. Douglas, 1967). Researches into the mechanism of sediment transport-ation during floods and of waste supply from the small catchments with various land use have as yet been lacking.

Wojciech Froehlich, Homerka Laboratory of Fluvial Processes, Institute of Geography, Polish Academy of Sciences, Frycowa, Poland