Characteristics of soils subjected to flood in july 1997 at the region of lubsza community - situation after 5 months

Soils waterlogged for a period of about 30 days during the great flood in Poland in July 1997 were examined for total carbon, nitrogen and sulphur, heavy metal concentration, sorption properties and salinity. The aim of the investigation was to characterise the flooded arable soils 5 months after the flood, and to compare the properties of cultivated soils with non-ploughed soils. The investigation revealed that the flood influenced soil properties mainly by depositing a thin layer of sediment containing organic matter and some heavy metals, especially zinc. Five months after the water subsided from the studied area, there were still some non-cultivated fields where the layer of the sediment was recognisable and possible to collect. Zinc concentrations in the surface (0- 20 cm) layer of several non-cultivated soils were higher than the concentrations in cultivated soils, indicating that the flood influenced soil properties. However, the heavy metal contents in soils after the flood did not exceed the natural background. Soils subjected to the flood are characterised by a high saturation of sodium, which could be still observed 5 months after the flood. Despite the high saturation of sodium, investigated soils did not indicate excess salinity.