Assessment the effect of revitalizing measures of chosen peat bogs in the upper Vydra River basin on their water regime Abstract: Despite a number of research projects, the influence of peat bogs on the hydrological regime remains a largely unexplored topic. In the past, several peat bogs in the Šumava National Park were exposed to a very strong anthropogenic pressure. Subsequently, revitalizing measures were applied to mitigate the impact of human interventions, to stop the degradation of these precious habitats, and to reform the disturbed peat bog water regime. This thesis is focused especially on fluctuations of water table level and on the hydrological regime in the catchments of Rokytka and Cikánský Brooks. Thesis further develops the topic solved in author's bachelor thesis called "Peat bog revitalizing measures and their effect on runoff dynamics in the Otava River headstream area." It contains experimental research of the influence of drainage canals and revitalizing measures on water table fluctuation. It also aims to identify the extent to which meteorological factors contribute to changes in groundwater level and to assess the present state of revitalization measures and their influence on the runoff regime. Key words: peat bogs, revitalizing measures, Šumava Mountains, water regime

Darbe analizuojama Dusios ežero ties Meteliais vandens lygiai. Darbe buvo naudojami dviejų laikotarpių paros vandens lygių duomenys: 1945 – 1970 ir 1972 – 1999 metų, nes 1971 metais buvo įrengtas šliuzas reguliatorius. Vandens režimo pokyčiams palyginti naudotos DHRAM programinės įrangos 32 vandens lygių charakteristikos, kurių pagalba nustatyta, kokią įtaką padarė šliuzo reguliatoriaus įrengimas. Atlikus statistinę analizę nustatyta, kad 32 charakteristikos pagal vidutines vandens lygių reikšmes didžioji dalis yra padidėjusios, o pagal variacijos koeficiento reikšmes daugiausia yra sumažėjusios charakteristikos. Šliuzo reguliatoriaus įrengimo įtaka Dusios ežero hidrologiniam režimui maža ir jis didelės įtakos neturėjo. / The paper analyzes water levels in Dusia at Meteliai. The paper analyses two periods of daily water level dynamics under pre-impoundment (1945 – 1970) and after impoundment (1972 – 1999) conditions. The comparison of changes in water levels included DHRAM software 32 characteristics, which provided assistance to the impact made sluice regulator installation. Statistical analysis has shown, that the 32 characteristics of the average values of water levels in most of the increase, while the coefficient of variation of values mainly decrease in performance. Sluice controller installation influences the hydrological regime of lake Dusia small and he did not have a significant impact.

The aim of this diploma thesis is to evaluate the results of the selected revitalization intention. The introductory theoretical part is generally focused on revitalization, description of its main aims and the reasons, why are revitalization works needed. The practical part is focused on characterization of selected location, in which the revitalization steps were implemented. The main content of this part are calculations volumes of areas of retention places, which resulted from revitalization and the comparison of those areas with the original landscape. Based on those results, it was confirmed that revitalization in the selected location increased the retention capacity of the original riverbed.

The "Rašeliniště Kapličky" Nature Reserve is situated in the eastern part of the Šumava Mts. The reserve contains different peatland vegetation types - ombrogenous and transition bog parts. The area was partly drained due to extensive mining, pasturing and forestry in the past There are variously old drainage canals now. My thesis contains (i) the evaluation of groundwater table fluctuation and its relationship to vegetation composition and the drainage intensity and (ii) the evaluation of plant species composition in differently drained parts of the peatbog. There was strong relationship between actual groundwater table and precipitation, especially in drained areas, the diversity and the occurrence of expansive species were also related to groundwater table. A map of dranaige network inside the peatbog (1 : 3 500) and vegetation map (1 : 4 000) in the ArcMap programme for GIS environment were constructed. In the most drained part of the area the revitalisation measure was proposed {--} installation of wooden dams for blocking of drainage system.

Yes / Pier scour has been extensively studied in laboratory experiments. However, scour depth relationships based on data at the laboratory scale often yield unacceptable results when extended to field conditions. In this study, non-uniform gravel bed laboratory and field datasets with gravel of median size ranging from 2.7 to 14.25 mm were considered to predict the maximum equilibrium scour depth at cylindrical piers. Specifically, a total of 217 datasets were collected: 132 from literature sources and 85 in this study using new experiments at the laboratory scale, which constitute a novel contribution provided by this paper. From the analysis of data, it was observed that Melville and Coleman's equation performs well in the case of laboratory datasets, while it tends to overestimate field measurements. Guo's and Kim et al.'s relationships showed good agreements only for laboratory datasets with finer non-uniform sediments: deviations in predicting the maximum scour depth with non-uniform gravel beds were found to be significantly greater than those for non-uniform sand and fine gravel beds. Consequently, new K-factors for the Melville and Coleman's equation were proposed in this study for non-uniform gravel-bed streams using a curve-fitting method. The results revealed good agreements between observations and predictions, where this might be an attractive advancement in overcoming scale effects. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis was performed to identify the most sensitive K-factors.

Yes / Pier scour has been extensively studied in laboratory experiments. However, scour depth relationships based on data at the laboratory scale often yield unacceptable results when extended to field conditions. In this study, non-uniform gravel bed laboratory and field datasets with gravel of median size ranging from 2.7 to 14.25 mm were considered to predict the maximum equilibrium scour depth at cylindrical piers. Specifically, a total of 217 datasets were collected: 132 from literature sources and 85 in this study using new experiments at the laboratory scale, which constitute a novel contribution provided by this paper. From the analysis of data, it was observed that Melville and Coleman’s equation performs well in the case of laboratory datasets, while it tends to overestimate field measurements. Guo’s and Kim et al.’s relationships showed good agreements only for laboratory datasets with finer non-uniform sediments: deviations in predicting the maximum scour depth with non-uniform gravel beds were found to be significantly greater than those for non-uniform sand and fine gravel beds. Consequently, new K-factors for the Melville and Coleman’s equation were proposed in this study for non-uniform gravel-bed streams using a curve-fitting method. The results revealed good agreements between observations and predictions, where this might be an attractive advancement in overcoming scale effects. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis was performed to identify the most sensitive K-factors.

This diploma thesis focuses on the possibilities of restoration of a small water stream and the construction of a small water reservoir. The small water streams and small water reservoirs are not only the landscape-forming element in the countryside but also, they are used mainly as rectification of water regime in the countryside. In the past there were used inappropriate ways how to modify watercourses or land, there came about ignoring water reservoirs and even water reservoirs were disturbed. Because of that, it came about the harming of ecosystems, small retention of water in the countryside and about the disruption of the natural functions of water streams.

This dissertation thesis researches the impact of ecological conditions on the permanent graminaceous cover not faraway from the peatland in the Borkovice region. These ecological conditions primarily mean water regime of the habitat. The nutritive regime and the fodder crop value are monitored in this thesis. These data were acquired with the help of the vegetation composition, using bio-indikative methods. Resulting values are described in the thesis, and their mutual relations are also stated there. In accordance to the ascertained results, proper pratotechnic measures were proposed. These measures try to harmonize the productive and non-productive functions.

Permanent grassland in agricultural landscapes represents an important position in terms of biodiversity. Becoming a habitat of endangered plant species, they are rich in flowering plants and also provide wintering territories to many animals. The aim of this study is to assess the biomass production of grassland for energy recovery, describe ways to use herbaceous biomass and impact of digestate on species composition and productivity of grassland. The experiment was conducted on the land in the village Dmýštice, located in the county of Písek. The site of fertilization by digestate is located near the village of Novosedly, county Strakonice. On these lands there were monitored ecological conditions of grasslands, dates and intensity of their use, botanical composition, species diversity and biomass production. Furthermore, this thesis uses methods of preservation of harvested biomass and comparing fertilized and unfertilized plots. The obtained data were used to calculate the Simpson index species diversity, nutrient and water mode positions. The values were statistically processed.

Achieving global water sustainability through a resilient international legal architecture presents one of the most pressing challenges within our resource finite planet. A staggering 42 percent of the total land area of the earth is covered by transboundary river basins, where more than 40 percent of the global population lives and depends on the ecosystem services of the 286 transboundary river basins and 200 transboundary aquifers stretching across the political boundaries of 151 countries. There is already evidence of water resources becoming a source of conflict in many regions and constraining a whole myriad of securities – climate, human, environmental, food, economic, energy – on various levels of society. The international legal architecture to manage this critical natural resource is the overarching area of inquiry in this thesis, and requires improvement to address current and predicted future transboundary water challenges, conflicts and strengthen cooperation. Despite the establishment of around 690 river basin treaties, many of these agreements completely miss or provide unclear provisions on principles and rules of international water law. Until recently there was no legally binding global treaty on transboundary watercourses and customary international law has provided the default rules in the absence of agreements and facilitated the re-interpretation of older agreements in accordance with the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. Now there are potentially two global treaties, with the recent entry into force of the 1997 UN Watercourses Convention and the global opening up of the 1992 pan-regional United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Water Convention, to all UN member states. There is also a plethora of other international environmental legal and non-legally binding instruments, indirectly addressing international law relevant to transboundary watercourses and freshwater ecosystems. Legal regimes for the protection and use of international river basins cannot be interpreted and applied in isolation from other relevant norms of international environmental and general international law. This thesis seeks to understand the rising role and contribution of regional approaches relevant to international law on transboundary watercourses and freshwater ecosystems. More specifically it explores the contribution of the UNECE Water Convention and other relevant UNECE environmental instruments as a structurally distinctive ‘regime’. This thesis introduces a novel conception of a broader ‘UNECE water regime’ which includes the Water Convention, the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice (Aarhus Convention), the Convention on Transboundary Environmental Impact Assessment (Espoo Convention), the Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents, as well as their protocols and non-binding instruments. This research demonstrates how these instruments and their institutions can be interpreted and understood to form a common framework of rules, principles and approaches which fills critical gaps in basin treaties, and collectively contributes to the clarification and development of international law on transboundary watercourses and freshwater ecosystems. This analysis also explores institutional interaction and coordination between and beyond the UNECE pan-regional agreements, as well as the role of soft law or non-binding instruments, and state and non-state actors in the regime. This thesis seeks to contribute to a more coherent understanding of the relationship between the UNECE water regime, international water law, international environmental law and general international law. The UNECE water regime has contributed to clarifying many of the cornerstone rules and principles of international water law and it is argued that the UNECE water regime is lex specialis, which can and mostly does go beyond the UN Watercourses Convention. The UNECE water regime has also arguably spearheaded a paradigm shift in international water law, which sees it moving beyond its historically predominant focus on issues of transboundary impact and utilisation towards a stronger ecosystem orientated approach to environmental protection and equitable use of transboundary river basins. This research identifies key elements of an ecosystem approach, drawing from international environmental and international water law and demonstrates how the ecosystem approach, including ecosystem services, as supported by the UNECE water regime, affects interpretation of international water law towards enhancing ecosystem protection and intra-state equity. This research also explores how the UNECE regime goes beyond what exists elsewhere in international law and international water law on public participation and access to justice. Finally, this research examines the contribution of the UNECE regime vis-à-vis international and European Union water law, across the spectrum of pan-European river basins, especially focusing on the Danube, Sava and Western Bug basins. The UNECE water regime is the most evolved pan-regional regime of its kind, providing ambitious detailed standards and clarification of rules and principles relevant to transboundary watercourses and freshwater ecosystems. It also provides a valuable model of institutional cooperation, progressively engaging state and non-state actors. As this regime takes steps towards realising its global ambition, with almost all instruments now open to all UN member states, and the recent accession by Chad to the Water Convention, this analysis demonstrates why this is predominantly a positive endeavour but also highlights potential challenges and hurdles. This research thus explores the implications and benefits of the UNECE’s rising role in strengthening the international legal architecture to protect the world’s fragile transboundary watercourses and freshwater ecosystems.