10 Flow Seasonality in Two Big Polish Rivers – The Vistula …
183
Poland harbors 488 medium and large rivers with catchment area exceeding
200 km
2 , of which 250 (over 51%) belong to the Vistula basin and 177 (36.3%)
to the Oder basin. Only 61 rivers collect water from other basins of the Łaba, the
Dniester and the Niemen. The total length of those 488 rivers amounts to 33,456 km,
of which 55% are 20–50 km long, and 30% are 50–100 km long. Only four Polish
rivers are longer than 500 km (the Vistula, the Oder, the Narew with the Bug, and
the Warta), and only the Vistula is longer than 1000 km.
10.2 Physiogeographic Features of the Studied Rivers
The Vistula is considered to originate at the springs of the Czarna Wisełka, and the
Biała Wisełka streams at the northern slopes of Barania Góra in the Silesian Beskids
at an elevation of 1116 m amsl The mouth of the river is curbed with a 7.1 km long
canal with embankments constructed in 1895 that directs the river water into the
Baltic Sea near ´
Swibno. The Vistula stretches for about 1022 km, and its basin area
is 194,424 km
2 . Of these, 169,000 km
2 belong to Poland and comprise 54% of the
country territory.
The first, longest section of the river that runs for nearly 400 km from the springs
to the mouth of the San is called the Upper Vistula. This section collects water from
the most water-abundant area in Poland – the Upper Vistula catchment (c.a. 30%
of Polish water resources). The basin area belonging to Poland covers 45,900 km
2 .
Its key regions include the Western and Eastern Beskids drained by a few dozens
of large mountain rivers (e.g. the Soła, the Skawa, the Raba, the Dunajec, the San
and many other), with pluvial-nival and nival-pluvial regimes, and a large fragment
of Central Poland Highlands drained by a few dozens of highland rivers (e.g. the
Przemsza, the Szreniawa, the Nida, the Tanew and other), with poorly or moderately
developed nival regime and considerable share of underground water supply [11, 25].
As the Vistula is considered a navigable river only from the mouth of the Przemsza,
this spot is treated as the starting point of its chainage. The section of so-called the
Small Vistula is roughly closed with a gauge in Nowy Bieru´ n.
The central, 256 km long section of the Vistula begins below the mouth of the
San (a gauge in Zawichost) and ends below the mouth of the Narew (slightly above a
gauge in K˛ epa Polska). This part of the Vistula basin (51%) covers about 98,900 km
2 ,
of which 88,800 km
2 belong to Poland. This section of the river is mainly supplied
from the right, lowland part of its catchment (83.4% of the entire catchment area)
drained by the Wieprz, the Bug and the Narew and the Biebrza, i.e. rivers with the
continental regime and moderately or strongly developed nival supply. Left tributaries
are less important from a hydrological perspective, and the largest ones comprising
the Kamienna, the Radomka and the Pilica are typical highland rivers with usually
moderately or sometimes strongly developed nival regime. Interestingly, if the Narew
is treated as a tributary of the Bug, then that later is longer than the Vistula at the
point of their junction [13].
183
Poland harbors 488 medium and large rivers with catchment area exceeding
200 km
2 , of which 250 (over 51%) belong to the Vistula basin and 177 (36.3%)
to the Oder basin. Only 61 rivers collect water from other basins of the Łaba, the
Dniester and the Niemen. The total length of those 488 rivers amounts to 33,456 km,
of which 55% are 20–50 km long, and 30% are 50–100 km long. Only four Polish
rivers are longer than 500 km (the Vistula, the Oder, the Narew with the Bug, and
the Warta), and only the Vistula is longer than 1000 km.
10.2 Physiogeographic Features of the Studied Rivers
The Vistula is considered to originate at the springs of the Czarna Wisełka, and the
Biała Wisełka streams at the northern slopes of Barania Góra in the Silesian Beskids
at an elevation of 1116 m amsl The mouth of the river is curbed with a 7.1 km long
canal with embankments constructed in 1895 that directs the river water into the
Baltic Sea near ´
Swibno. The Vistula stretches for about 1022 km, and its basin area
is 194,424 km
2 . Of these, 169,000 km
2 belong to Poland and comprise 54% of the
country territory.
The first, longest section of the river that runs for nearly 400 km from the springs
to the mouth of the San is called the Upper Vistula. This section collects water from
the most water-abundant area in Poland – the Upper Vistula catchment (c.a. 30%
of Polish water resources). The basin area belonging to Poland covers 45,900 km
2 .
Its key regions include the Western and Eastern Beskids drained by a few dozens
of large mountain rivers (e.g. the Soła, the Skawa, the Raba, the Dunajec, the San
and many other), with pluvial-nival and nival-pluvial regimes, and a large fragment
of Central Poland Highlands drained by a few dozens of highland rivers (e.g. the
Przemsza, the Szreniawa, the Nida, the Tanew and other), with poorly or moderately
developed nival regime and considerable share of underground water supply [11, 25].
As the Vistula is considered a navigable river only from the mouth of the Przemsza,
this spot is treated as the starting point of its chainage. The section of so-called the
Small Vistula is roughly closed with a gauge in Nowy Bieru´ n.
The central, 256 km long section of the Vistula begins below the mouth of the
San (a gauge in Zawichost) and ends below the mouth of the Narew (slightly above a
gauge in K˛ epa Polska). This part of the Vistula basin (51%) covers about 98,900 km
2 ,
of which 88,800 km
2 belong to Poland. This section of the river is mainly supplied
from the right, lowland part of its catchment (83.4% of the entire catchment area)
drained by the Wieprz, the Bug and the Narew and the Biebrza, i.e. rivers with the
continental regime and moderately or strongly developed nival supply. Left tributaries
are less important from a hydrological perspective, and the largest ones comprising
the Kamienna, the Radomka and the Pilica are typical highland rivers with usually
moderately or sometimes strongly developed nival regime. Interestingly, if the Narew
is treated as a tributary of the Bug, then that later is longer than the Vistula at the
point of their junction [13].