THE DEVELOPMENT OF EROSIVE AND DENUDATIONAL LANDFORMS ON FOOTPATHS SECTIONS IN THE BABIA GÓRA MASSIF AND THE WESTERN TATRAS

Agata Buchwal, Joanna Fidelus: The development of erosive and denudational landforms on foot- paths sections in the Babia Gora massif and the Western Tatras. Geomorphologia Slovaca et Bo- hemica, 8, 2008, 2, 10 figs, 17 refs. The most intensively used tourist regions within the Polish Carpathians are the Tatra Mountains and the Babia Gora massif. Tourist traffic within these regions contributes to the initiation and intensification of various morphogenetic processes. These processes result in numerous polygenetic landforms within footpaths. Geomorphological mapping has been used to study the development of erosive and denudational land- forms within the selected footpath sections. 23 km of footpaths in the Western Tatras have been re- searched and in the Babia Gora massif 15 km respectively. This paper aims to determine the regularity in development of erosive and denudational landforms within footpaths below and above the treeline. The impact of tourist traffic and forestry on development of researched landforms has also been veri- fied. Because of differentiation of natural conditions within both researched regions, for example litho- logy or slope morphology, only effects of erosive and denudational processes have been compared. The research shows, that because of higher elevation and altitude, higher slope gradient and intensive water circulation in the Tatra Mountains there are more zones with well-developed erosive and denuda- tional landforms. These forms are also larger in size than those observed in the Babia Gora massif.