Using GIS to Discover Changes in the Local Water Cycle of Wetlands—Case Study Poblockie Peatbog

The aim of this study is to reconstitute the changes in the local water cycle and plant habitats occurring in wetlands under anthropic influence. The selected area for the study in this paper is the swamp of Pobłockie Peatbog, located in the catchment area of the river Łeba in northern Poland. The fieldwork was performed in October of 2013. Using ArcMap the hydrographic network of the study area in the years 1837, 1918, 1936, 1976 and 2000 were digitized and represented. Using a LIDAR image, the terrain model for the swamp of Pobłockie Peatbog was generated in ArcMap. This was then used to create a map showing the location of runoff pathways from the waterlogged areas. Long-term drainage and the construction of new drainage ditches have led to the encroachment of bog woodland on the originally treeless swamp of Pobłockie Peatbog.