184
P. Jokiel and P. Tomalski
The Lower Vistula begins below the mouth of the Narew and runs for 391 km
until the Baltic Sea. This part of the basin is the smallest and covers only 34,100 km
2
(23% of the entire basin), but, unlike the other two, it belongs entirely to Poland. The
catchment of this part of the Vistula basin is almost symmetrical, and the draining
rivers are either of lowland character (e.g. the Bzura, the Skrwa), with minimal water
resources and strongly or moderately developed nival regime or of lakeland character
(e.g. the Drw˛ eca, the Brda, the Wda, the Wie˙ zyca) with huge water resources, high
retention, and underground supply, and poorly or moderately developed nival regime.
Mean multiannual (1951–2016) flow at the most downstream gauge of the Vistula
at Tczew was SSQ (multiannual mean flow) = 1059 m
3. s
−1 , and extreme flows
recorded for the same period reached WWQ (multiannual high flow) = 7750 m
3. s
−1
(maximum, June 1962) and NNQ (multiannual low flow) = 264 m
3. s
−1 (minimum,
January 1954).
The springs of the Oder are located in the Czech Republic at 632 m amsl on
the slope of Fidl˚ uv Kopeˇ c (the Oderské vrchy). The river enters the Baltic Sea via a
shallow part the Szczecin Lagoon (the Oder Bay) at 840 km of its chainage (726 km in
Poland). The Oder is navigable for 736 km, and almost 162 km of the river constitutes
a border between Poland and Germany.
Mountain features can be spotted for only the first 50 km of the Oder. As soon
as it enters the Moravian Gate, its character changes to submontane river, and its
slope drops down to 0.7–0.9‰. Along the Moravian-Racibórz section, the Oder is
supplied by three tributaries (the Opawa, the Ostrawica, and the Olza) that increase
its water supply by several times. The Opawa mouth is also a starting point of the
Oder chainage. Below the Ostrawica mouth, the Oder enters a flat, marshy Racibórz
Basin where it meanders and forms numerous ponds. The river crosses Czech-Polish
border near the gauge in Chałupki. Between the border and the mouth of the Gliwice
Canal, the Oder is supplied by its left tributary the Psina and right tributaries the
Ruda and the Bierawka. The K˛ edzierzyn-Ko´ zle gauge marks the upper, 202 km long
section of the Oder. The river catchment area at this gauge is 9,173.6 km
2 . Water
resources of this area are not large, but they vary substantially over time [1]. Right
tributaries have moderately developed nival regime, and left ones have nival-pluvial
character [25].
The longest, middle section of the Oder begins in the Racibórz Basin. Further on
the river crosses two vast lowlands – Silesian Lowland and Great Poland Lowland.
The end of the Oder middle section is marked by the mouth of the Warta at the
border of the South Pomeranian Lakeland (at 618 km). The Warta’s mouth is located
nearly exactly in between the gauges in Słubice and Gozdowice. Physical geography of the middle section of the Oder basin is highly diverse. The south-western
(left) part is drained by water abundant rivers originating from the Sudetes and submountain regions (e.g. the Nysa Kłodzka, the Bystrzyca, the Kaczawa, the Bóbr, the
Nysa Łu˙ zycka, and several others). Right tributaries are usually of lowland character
(lakeland in the north) and their water resources are typically low (rarely moderate).
The largest right tributaries of this section of the Oder include the Mała Panew, the
Widawa, and the Barycz. The Warta, the largest tributary of the Oder, is 795 km long
and its catchment area reaches 53,666 km
2 . Water resources of the Warta catchment
P. Jokiel and P. Tomalski
The Lower Vistula begins below the mouth of the Narew and runs for 391 km
until the Baltic Sea. This part of the basin is the smallest and covers only 34,100 km
2
(23% of the entire basin), but, unlike the other two, it belongs entirely to Poland. The
catchment of this part of the Vistula basin is almost symmetrical, and the draining
rivers are either of lowland character (e.g. the Bzura, the Skrwa), with minimal water
resources and strongly or moderately developed nival regime or of lakeland character
(e.g. the Drw˛ eca, the Brda, the Wda, the Wie˙ zyca) with huge water resources, high
retention, and underground supply, and poorly or moderately developed nival regime.
Mean multiannual (1951–2016) flow at the most downstream gauge of the Vistula
at Tczew was SSQ (multiannual mean flow) = 1059 m
3. s
−1 , and extreme flows
recorded for the same period reached WWQ (multiannual high flow) = 7750 m
3. s
−1
(maximum, June 1962) and NNQ (multiannual low flow) = 264 m
3. s
−1 (minimum,
January 1954).
The springs of the Oder are located in the Czech Republic at 632 m amsl on
the slope of Fidl˚ uv Kopeˇ c (the Oderské vrchy). The river enters the Baltic Sea via a
shallow part the Szczecin Lagoon (the Oder Bay) at 840 km of its chainage (726 km in
Poland). The Oder is navigable for 736 km, and almost 162 km of the river constitutes
a border between Poland and Germany.
Mountain features can be spotted for only the first 50 km of the Oder. As soon
as it enters the Moravian Gate, its character changes to submontane river, and its
slope drops down to 0.7–0.9‰. Along the Moravian-Racibórz section, the Oder is
supplied by three tributaries (the Opawa, the Ostrawica, and the Olza) that increase
its water supply by several times. The Opawa mouth is also a starting point of the
Oder chainage. Below the Ostrawica mouth, the Oder enters a flat, marshy Racibórz
Basin where it meanders and forms numerous ponds. The river crosses Czech-Polish
border near the gauge in Chałupki. Between the border and the mouth of the Gliwice
Canal, the Oder is supplied by its left tributary the Psina and right tributaries the
Ruda and the Bierawka. The K˛ edzierzyn-Ko´ zle gauge marks the upper, 202 km long
section of the Oder. The river catchment area at this gauge is 9,173.6 km
2 . Water
resources of this area are not large, but they vary substantially over time [1]. Right
tributaries have moderately developed nival regime, and left ones have nival-pluvial
character [25].
The longest, middle section of the Oder begins in the Racibórz Basin. Further on
the river crosses two vast lowlands – Silesian Lowland and Great Poland Lowland.
The end of the Oder middle section is marked by the mouth of the Warta at the
border of the South Pomeranian Lakeland (at 618 km). The Warta’s mouth is located
nearly exactly in between the gauges in Słubice and Gozdowice. Physical geography of the middle section of the Oder basin is highly diverse. The south-western
(left) part is drained by water abundant rivers originating from the Sudetes and submountain regions (e.g. the Nysa Kłodzka, the Bystrzyca, the Kaczawa, the Bóbr, the
Nysa Łu˙ zycka, and several others). Right tributaries are usually of lowland character
(lakeland in the north) and their water resources are typically low (rarely moderate).
The largest right tributaries of this section of the Oder include the Mała Panew, the
Widawa, and the Barycz. The Warta, the largest tributary of the Oder, is 795 km long
and its catchment area reaches 53,666 km
2 . Water resources of the Warta catchment