The 2nd International Hydrological Workshop on Sustainable Water Resources Management in High Mountains in the Baltic Sea Region was held in Zakopane in the Polish Tatra Mountains from 10-13 June 2019.

Overview

Recognizing the crucial importance of mountains for water resources, both at local and regional scales, the Institute of Geography and Spatial Management at Jagiellonian University in Cracow, the Baltic University Programme, and the Tatra National Park worked together to develop the 2nd Tatra Hydrological Workshop in Zakopane, dedicated to students as well as young scientists. Zakopane is located at the northern foot side of the Tatra Mountains, which represent the alpine, high mountain landscape; they are the highest among the Carpathian Mountains.

The aim of the workshop was to gain relevant knowledge about monitoring and sampling techniques for analyzing hydrological processes, and to organize a monitoring network to control the influence of human activities (tourism, ski, water, and energy supply municipal system) on the quantity and quality of water resources in high mountain catchments. During fieldwork, workshop participants had the opportunity to take part in hydrological measurements with modern instruments and observe a hydrological monitoring system operating in the Tatra National Park. 31 participants took part in the workshop, with represantatives from Belarus (3), Croatia (1), Czech Rep. (3), Estonia (1), Georgia (1), Germany (1), Indonesia (1), Latvia (1), Lithuania (1), Luxembourg (1), Slovakia (5), Turkey (2), Russia (1), Rwanda (1), and Poland (5). At the end of the workshop, participants gained a diploma and 3 ECTS. 

All activities and introductory lectures were provided by specialists. Among them were Lars Ryden (Uppsala University), Ladislav Holko (Slovak Academy of Sciences), Marek Kot (Tatra National Park), and Miroslaw Żelazny (Jagiellonian University).