deposits forming in micro tidal zones. Coastal erosion is the dominant source of
sediments within the study area. Waves, storm surges, currents and winds driven
erosion are reason for transport, accumulation and redeposition of sediments in the
coastal zone (Piekarek-Jankowska 1994).
3.2 Submarine Groundwater Discharge to the Bay of Puck
The groundwater discharge to the Bay of Puck was mainly observed as salinity
changes of seafloor water level. It is said that about 50 % of sediments in the Bay of
Puck are impacted by groundwater discharge (Piekarek-Jankowska 1994). The
identified groundwater impacted areas are located in the inner part of the Bay of
Puck (the western part of the inner Bay of Puck from Płutnica river estuary to the
mouth of the Reda valley and in the outer part of the Bay of Puck (in the middle
part of the reservoir). Piekarek-Jankowska (1994) calculated groundwater discharge
from the Quaternary, Neogene, Paleogene and Upper Cretaceous aquifers to the
Bay of Puck to be 0.03 km
3 year
−1 . Another study calculating groundwater discharge to the Bay of Puck was made by Szymczycha et al. (2012). In the study—
seepage fluxes, salinity rates and the end-member method were used to calculate
groundwater discharge into the study area. This combination uses sensitive and
precise measurements of end-member components to estimate groundwater and
seawater contributions to seepage fluxes (Szymczycha et al. 2012). Measurements
were repeated three times per each seepage meter location during four sampling
campaigns: September 2009; November 2009; February 2010 and May 2010
(Pempkowiak et al. 2010). The obtained results are presented in Table 2. Variations
on the results obtained with a single seepage meter did not exceed 5 %. However,
the differences in seepage water fluxes between the locations (S1, S2, S3) during
each sampling campaign were significant. In February 2010 the relative standard
deviation (RSD) of the calculated average seepage water flux reached the highest
equal to 70 % value. Moreover, the data collected indicate that fluxes in February
2010 and May 2010 were lower than fluxes measured in September 2009 and
November 2009. The average SGD turned out to be well correlated with the
average monthly precipitation characteristic of the area (Cyberski and Szefler
1993). Thus the measured fluxes of seepage water differ both by sampling location
and season. One reason for this phenomenon is the varying contribution of recirculated seawater to the seepage water. Seawater contributions to seepage fluxes
ranged between 4 L d
−1 m
−2 in February 2010 and 44 L d
−1 m
−2 in November
2010. It is interesting to notice that groundwater contributed less than recirculated
seawater to seepage water fluxes.
The groundwater discharges obtained by means of the seepage meters method
combined with the end-member method were used to calculate the total groundwater discharge rate to the Bay of Puck. The total groundwater drainage area of the
Bay of Puck equals 200 km
2 —some 56 % of total surface area of the bay
68
B. Szymczycha
sediments within the study area. Waves, storm surges, currents and winds driven
erosion are reason for transport, accumulation and redeposition of sediments in the
coastal zone (Piekarek-Jankowska 1994).
3.2 Submarine Groundwater Discharge to the Bay of Puck
The groundwater discharge to the Bay of Puck was mainly observed as salinity
changes of seafloor water level. It is said that about 50 % of sediments in the Bay of
Puck are impacted by groundwater discharge (Piekarek-Jankowska 1994). The
identified groundwater impacted areas are located in the inner part of the Bay of
Puck (the western part of the inner Bay of Puck from Płutnica river estuary to the
mouth of the Reda valley and in the outer part of the Bay of Puck (in the middle
part of the reservoir). Piekarek-Jankowska (1994) calculated groundwater discharge
from the Quaternary, Neogene, Paleogene and Upper Cretaceous aquifers to the
Bay of Puck to be 0.03 km
3 year
−1 . Another study calculating groundwater discharge to the Bay of Puck was made by Szymczycha et al. (2012). In the study—
seepage fluxes, salinity rates and the end-member method were used to calculate
groundwater discharge into the study area. This combination uses sensitive and
precise measurements of end-member components to estimate groundwater and
seawater contributions to seepage fluxes (Szymczycha et al. 2012). Measurements
were repeated three times per each seepage meter location during four sampling
campaigns: September 2009; November 2009; February 2010 and May 2010
(Pempkowiak et al. 2010). The obtained results are presented in Table 2. Variations
on the results obtained with a single seepage meter did not exceed 5 %. However,
the differences in seepage water fluxes between the locations (S1, S2, S3) during
each sampling campaign were significant. In February 2010 the relative standard
deviation (RSD) of the calculated average seepage water flux reached the highest
equal to 70 % value. Moreover, the data collected indicate that fluxes in February
2010 and May 2010 were lower than fluxes measured in September 2009 and
November 2009. The average SGD turned out to be well correlated with the
average monthly precipitation characteristic of the area (Cyberski and Szefler
1993). Thus the measured fluxes of seepage water differ both by sampling location
and season. One reason for this phenomenon is the varying contribution of recirculated seawater to the seepage water. Seawater contributions to seepage fluxes
ranged between 4 L d
−1 m
−2 in February 2010 and 44 L d
−1 m
−2 in November
2010. It is interesting to notice that groundwater contributed less than recirculated
seawater to seepage water fluxes.
The groundwater discharges obtained by means of the seepage meters method
combined with the end-member method were used to calculate the total groundwater discharge rate to the Bay of Puck. The total groundwater drainage area of the
Bay of Puck equals 200 km
2 —some 56 % of total surface area of the bay
68
B. Szymczycha