Main tasks within ice2sea: involvement in W2.2.1, 2.3.1.
Description of institution: The University of Silesia is the largest university in the region as well as one of the largest in Poland. Its mission is based on such fundamental values as truth and knowledge. It supports both high standard of scientific research and education. The University employs almost two thousand research-teaching staff and educates nearly 40 thousand students. The Faculty of Earth Sciences is one of the twelve faculty on the University of Silesia, with was established in 1974. There are 220 staff members, 1300 students and 52 PhD students. The Faculty’s scientific activity includes, among others, research of environment of polar regions. In focus are the following issues: cryosphere response to climate warming, mass balance studies of selected Svalbard tidewater glaciers, glaciers’ movement dynamics, studies on calving intensity of glaciers, distribution of snow cover on Spitsbergen, glacier’s drainage system, polar environment dynamics in glaciated and unglaciated catchments, glacial and periglacial geomorphology. The Faculty has been engaged into international research covering the Norwegian Arctic region (since 1977), Iceland, Kola Peninsula and South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. At present, the following projects of the International Polar Year (IPY) have been conducted: The dynamic response of Arctic glaciers to global warming (GLACIODYN), Change and variability of the Arctic Systems – Nordaustlandet, Svalbard (KINNVIKA), Network for Arctic Climate and Biological Diversity Studies (ARCDIV.NET), Polar Study using Aircraft, Remote Sensing, Surface Measurements and Models, of Climate, Chemistry, Aerosols, and Transport (POLARCAT).
Department name: The Faculty of Earth Sciences
Staff members: Prof. Dr. Jacek A. Jania, Dr. Mariusz Grabiec, Dr. Agnieszka M. Piechota, Dr. Leszek Kolondra, Eng, Ms. Malgorzata Blaszczyk, Eng. (Ph.D. student), Mr. Dariusz Ignatiuk (Ph. D. student)
Profile of staff member: Prof. Dr hab. Jacek A. Jania – JJ has been involved in polar research since 1972 (M.Sc. thesis on periglacial slopes in Spitsbergen). His glaciological studies has been started in 1982. JJ research is focused on response of glaciers to climate change, studies of dynamics of tidewater glaciers and glacial geomorphology. He initiated modern paleoglaciological studies of the last Scandinavian ice sheet in NW Poland. JJ is, actually, the principal investigator/coordinator in two large projects: The dynamic response of Arctic glaciers to climate change and its environmental effects (the Polish segment of the GLACIODYN IPY project), Extreme meteorological and hydrological events in Poland (integrated project granted by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Republic of Poland). JJ is an ordinary professor and Dean of the Faculty of Earth Sci., US. He has been elected President of the Committee on Polar Research, Polish Academy of Sciences (2007-2010) and is Co-Chair of the Polish National IPY Committee.
Other Staff Members: Dr. Mariusz Grabiec – MG has participated in 5 scientific expeditions to Svalbard and conducted GPR studies of permafrost in the Abisko Station area and in the Kebnekaise massif, N Scandinavia. His research has focused on glaciology and snow accumulation on glaciers (Ph.D. in 2004). Currently, MG participates in two special IPY projects, granted by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Republic of Poland.
Dr. Agnieszka M. Piechota – AMP has participated in 2 expeditions to Svalbard. Her research has focused on hydrogeology, glacial geomorphology, numerical modeling of subglacial drainage systems of Scandinavian ice-sheet (Ph.D. in 2006) and Svalbard mountain glaciers deploying also remote sensing and GIS methods.
Dr. Leszek Kolondra, Eng – LK is a photogrammetrists with over 20-years expertise in the Arctic and Alpine environment (8 expeditions to Spitsbergen) and in conducting various technological parts of projects (field survey, GPS-measurements, flight planning, aerotriangulation, mapping by stereoplotting in analogue and digital technology, orthophotomaps and DTM processing). LK is an author of several topographic maps and orthophotomaps of Spitsbergen glaciers in various scales.
Ms. Malgorzata Blaszczyk, MA, Eng. – Ph.D. student (just before final examines). MB has used remote sensing methods for monitoring of dynamics of Svalbard glaciers. She has field experience from Svalbard and Greenland study trips.
Mr. Dariusz Ignatiuk – Ph.D. student since 2007. DI is a geophysicist, he works on energy balance of ground and snow surface (M.Sc. in 2006) and modeling of glacier ice melting.
