Author: Anna Wielgopolan

2020 reports on scientific activity were carried out in a new form. Instead of the usual reports delivered by Scientific Departments (methodological link), the reports were held around four thematic areas connecting scientists from different Departments (thematic link). The identification of these four areas was the result of many meetings and talks between Heads of the Departments and its employees. The review of the ongoing work and scientific plans for the future within thematic areas were formed thanks to the involvement of several people who undertook to moderate and summarize the discussions.

Despite the difficulties and limitations of online meetings due to the current pandemic, the new form of scientific reports has been well received by scientists and members of the IG PAS International Advisory Board. As has often been emphasized, gathering various activities, opportunities and achievements in the defined thematic areas highlights the great potential IG PAS. It will certainly influence the promotion of the Institute, allow to establish cooperation with the best research centers, and to obtain funds for research. However, the greatest benefit of these changes was to encourage all scientists to direct discussion. I am convinced that an open discussion between scientists from all Departments on interesting and important research problems, exchange of experiences, discussion about equipment and infrastructure resources will contribute to further strengthening of the Institute.

In order to further develop this new concept of organizing scientific research at the Institute, the IG PAS Director, by Decision No. 17 of September 1, 2020, appointed the Program Team for IG PAS Scientific Strategy. The Team consists of people who actively organized meetings before the 2020 scientific reports and who expressed their readiness to take further actions to implement the concept. Chairman of the Team is The Deputy Director for Scientific Affairs.

The main goal of the Team’s work is the organization and moderation of communication in thematic research areas, maintaining the flow of information about the current activities in individual Departments and about the most important research problems / questions, discussion about possible joint scientific ventures that, within a few month, will  transform into a written IG PAS scientific strategy for the years 2020-2025.

In addition, the Team is to advise the IG PAS Director on effective communication between IG PAS employees and social and economic partners, identify IG PAS activities (scientific, infrastructure, service) important for society and other external institutions, and participate in the development and updating of the scientific strategy. These elements, along with high-quality research, are the best means of ensuring the long-term stability of our collective workplace.

IG PAS thematic areas:

(1) Anthropogenic and natural geohazard & environmental anthropopresion,

(2) Geosystem processes,

(3) Earth structure & georesources,

(4) Climate change & polar regions

The Team:

1. Assoc. Prof. Mariusz Majdański – Chairman

2. Assoc. Prof. Krzysztof Kochanek – Area 1

3. Prof. Stanisław Lasocki – Area 1

4. Prof. Marek Lewandowski – Area 2

5. Assoc. Prof. Krzysztof Mizerski – Area 2

6. Assoc. Prof. Michael Nones – Area 2

7. Assoc. Prof. Aleksander Pietruczuk – Area 2

8. Assoc. Prof. Michał Malinowski – Area 3

9. Assoc. Prof. Rafał Szaniawski – Area 3

10. Assoc. Prof. Mateusz Moskalik – Area 4

11. Assoc. Prof. Marzena Osuch – Area 4

12. Prof. Renata Romanowicz – Area 4

I joined the Institute of Geophysics this September, as a researcher specialising in the geology and geochronology of gneissic terranes. My choice of speciality is the result of a long and wandering path that has led me to Warsaw, where I look forward to some vital and interesting collaborations in polar geology both with members of the Institute and researchers around the world.

I am from Sydney, Australia, where I graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science (first class honours) at the University of Sydney. My first thesis work as an undergraduate involved mapping of an intraplate volcano, following my early interest in igneous petrology and geochemistry. However, I was lured to polar research by the offer of a PhD project on a high-temperature metamorphic terrane on the Mawson Coast of east Antarctica. Over two summer seasons with the Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition, I developed a passion for fieldwork and for hot rocks in cold places. I became involved in metamorphic geology, and especially in geochronology, using the Australian  invention of the Sensitive High-Resolution Ion Microprobe (SHRIMP) to isotopically date geological events from zircon growth. Little did I know then that the complexities of zircon dating would lead me down a rabbit hole that I am still exploring.

In 1998, after obtaining my PhD and a stint of lecturing in mineralogy and igneous petrology at the University of Sydney, I was invited by the National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR) in Japan to join the 40^th Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition for fieldwork in Enderby Land and Dronning Maud Land. Subsequently I was invited by Prof. Kazuhiro Suzuki (deceased), inventor of a method of monazite geochronology by electron microprobe, to join his team at Nagoya University in Japan, where I worked on metamorphic rocks in Japan. Through expanding my experience in geochronological methods I was able to produce work that earned a Best Paper Medal in the top journal Gondwana Research. In 2003 I joined NIPR in Tokyo as a postdoctoral research fellow. As a SHRIMP geochronologist, I participated  in more than forty projects in 14 countries worldwide, including Antarctica, where I returned for fieldwork with JARE in 2008.

Having earned a reputation as a geochronologist, in 2009 I returned to Australia to join Geoscience Australia as an analyst. However, the lure of remote fieldwork was too strong for me, and I joined Curtin University to lecture in igneous petrology and work as a SHRIMP geochronologist on remote terranes in Western Australia. Then, in 2018, I was offered an NCN POLONEZ Fellowship at the University of Silesia in Katowice, to run research programs in Labrador, Canada, Greenland and the Ukraine, in collaboration with the Polish Academy of Science, and institutions in Sweden, Australia, Ukraine and Slovakia.

My membership of an international team of scientists has now led me to continue this work in the Department of Polar and Marine Research, and I am delighted by the opportunity to work here. I think of myself as an ‘international’ scientist, and  it is my ambition to develop and expand the department’s involvement in international programs of polar and sub-polar scientific activity, both in in the northern and southern hemispheres.

Nature Communications: SVALBARD GLACIERS MUCH MORE VULNERABLE TO WARMING SINCE MID-1980S (co-author: Department of Polar and Marine research)

About 60% of Svalbard, the archipelago with Spitsbergen as its largest island, is covered by glaciers. These glaciers can handle yearly temperature fluctuations as long as they are covered by a layer of porous snow, also called firn, which buffers much of the meltwater. Using a high-resolution climate model, researchers have now shown that Svalbard’s firn line has retreated to a critical altitude in the mid-1980s.

Since then, most of Svalbard’s glaciers have lost their protective firn layer, which leaves the ice much more vulnerable to summer melt. The results are published today in Nature Communications.

Svalbard glaciers have a relatively flat surface, and are situated mostly less than 450 metres above sea level. The receding firn line reached that height in the mid-1980s, suddenly leaving much of Svalbard’s surface without its protective firn layer. “That started a period of steady mass loss,” says Brice Noël, first author of the publication. “However, we shouldn’t call it a tipping point yet. Between 2005 and 2012, Svalbard mass loss slowed down considerably, due to some colder summers with average melt. But we have seen steady mass loss again since 2013.” ->CLICK TO READ MORE

SEG Field Camp 2020

Geophysical imaging of dissolution phenomena in porous carbonate media (inactive Smerdyna quarry, Poland): field camp was organized in August (3rd – 10th). The aim of the project is to familiarize students and doctoral students with field measurements using geophysical methods.

SEG Field Camp was not just about hard work in the field, but alsoa great opportunity to improve soft and didactic skills. A series of related lectures for interested students on geophysical methods is planned in the future.

Why Poland, why the Institute?

What makes scientists from distant countries choose Poland and our Institute, what was their scientific path? Daniel J. Dunkley, Associate Professor, Department of Polar and Marine Research.

Management’s view

Professor Mariusz Majdański, Deputy Scientific Director on establishing a Program Team for IG PAS scientific strategy.

1. A strong focus should be maintained on international research projects and initiatives. While national projects are important in ensuring capacity in research funding and support for diverse and relevant scientific activities, high levels of international competition raise the bar of scientific excellence and
   bring back high visibility and increased relevance in the international scientific panorama. In particular, brilliant scientists should apply to calls under the Excellence pillar of the H2020 (and next Horizon Europe) framework program, keeping in mind that scientific quality and perseverance are both keys to
   success.
2. The overall quality and the breadth of the scientific research at IG-PAS seem to be best exploited through participation including leading roles in large integrated geophysical projects with objectives capable of revitalizing the roles and relevance of geophysics in the 21st century while advancing science. Research on polar regions seems to offer such opportunities considering the level ofcommitment by the Institute and the variety of themes in solid Earth physics, atmospheric physics,marine research, and bio-geochemistry. Similarly, there seems to be a high potential for developing multi-disciplinary integrated projects aimed at evaluating geothermal heat extraction in Poland andother north-eastern European regions, including analysis and evaluation of extraction-related hazards.Given this potential, IG-PAS researchers are encouraged to further strengthen their leadership roles insuch international collaborations as would be reflected in lead authorship of the resulting publications.

3. The current re-organization of the Institute activities according to four highly inter-disciplinary thematic areas should be continued and supported with the development of medium term, multi-year strategic plans with clear and verifiable objectives. These objectives must be further buttressed by a
   sustainability plan that identifies the resources needed and the foreseen funding sources including external funds to achieve in competitive calls. Furthermore, each thematic area should be associated to a long-term objective representing grand challenges, expressed in layman terms so as to be
   effectively communicated externally providing a message on the relevance of the Institute for science and society.
4. The development of the Institute DMP should be supported by a sustainability plan which accounts for the resources necessary to maintain and implement it over the long term. The AB appreciates that the first part of the FAIR principles making data findable and accessible is progressing well and recommends that further implementations concentrate on data interoperability and reusability.
5. Revitalization of the Dobrowolski observatory in east Antarctica is a highly demanding task in terms of logistic and technical issues as well as financial resources. We believe that the potential benefits largely overcome the costs of the endeavour and recommend pursuing this initiative with the aid of a
   strong long-term sustainability plan. Due to its strategic relevance, we understand that the Polish Government is considering coverage of the initial costs, and we recommend that the discussion be continued with the objective to ensure Government-level long-term sustainability which would justify
   the efforts and allow proper plans to be developed and implemented.
6. One of the key components of a vibrant research institute is the presence, among its members, of a significant number of PhD students and post-doctoral fellows. While there is a strong component of young to mid-age researchers at the Institute, we notice that the number of PhD students has significantly decreased over the last five years. Efforts have been made to provide incentives for IG researchers to participate in competitions for external funds at the national and international levels and include PhD’s and post-docs in their applications. Additionally, IG-PAS recently formed two doctoral schools jointly with several other research institutions, which are now the only ones offering
   PhD’s in Geophysics in Poland. We recommend to proactively advertise these positions internationally as widely as possible, and to maintain and increase the efforts to ensure increase in the number and quality of PhD students coming from Poland and abroad.

My name is Yaser and I am from Iran. I am currently a researcher (assistant professor) at the Department of Geophysical Imaging. Encouraged by one of my teachers in high school, I commenced my academic
experience with joining a bachelor program in physics. After completing my degree, I worked at an administration office of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, in my hometown, for two years. The university atmosphere gradually inspired me to continue my study not only in higher levels but also abroad. As I was interested in nature, I decided to pick a field in which I can implement my knowledge on investigating the Earth phenomena. I could not find a better field than geophysics, hence, I chose Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) to conduct my M.Sc. in applied geophysics. I became familiar with geophysical methods such as resistivity, magnetic, seismic, GPR, remote sensing, etc, and I had the
chance to apply few of these methods to prospect an archaeological site. I published five papers based on the results of this project. Since I was still enthusiastic to expand my knowledge about subsurface imaging techniques, I applied for PhD programs in various universities. Eventually, I received an offer including a full scholarship from Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP, Malaysia) in petroleum geosciences which I accepted it. I had a great exposure to fulfilling granted projects from industry during my doctoral candidacy from
2012 to 2017. I conducted a research on seismic anisotropy imaging for deep reservoir and fractured basement, and the developed algorithm was delivered to the project owner. I also attended several national and international conferences to learn more and to make new connections in our field societies.
Besides, I co-supervised some of master and undergraduate students, and assisted my supervisor in his classes. After receiving my PhD, my supervisor hired me at Centre of Seismic Imaging as a postdoctoral researcher, to pursue the ideas that were not fulfilled during my studentship. Moreover, I taught two
subjects namely seismic imaging, and seismic processing to degree students. I worked there from April 2018 to November 2019.
I spent more than nine years in Malaysia, and I thought that it is a right time to search for a new opportunity to advance my perspective in my field of interest. Considering the fact that one of my friends was admitted as a PhD student at the Institute of Geophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, I had a general information about the institute. I knew that the institute has several ongoing international projects. Furthermore, the profile of the professors demonstrated their world-class proficiency. Yet, the work place and the team, which I wanted to cooperate with, were not the only factors. I also searched about the culture and the education system of Poland, which were nicely admired in different media.
These reasons excited me to apply for my current position at the department of Geophysical Imaging.
Today, after 8 months working at the institute, I strongly believe that the impact of joining the institute on my knowledge and my way of thinking was positively enormous.

This year’s winner of the scholarship of prof. Kacper Rafał Rybicki

This year, the scholarship was awarded to Dr. Anna Łoboda from the Department of Hydrology and Hydrodynamics. This is what she has to say about her scientific plans:

Currently, my area of interest is slightly different than those during my PhD, but they still concern the interactions between water flow, vegetation and river sediment, i.e. broadly understood eco-hydraulics. The research that I am involved in, and I want to develop in the future, focus on researching rivers using remote sensing methods. My goal is to quantify the dynamics of the river bed forms in the form of sand waves under different flow conditions, which will enable the determination of the load-bearing capacity of the river, e.g. with different overgrowth scenarios, also taking into account plant diversity. Moreover, with increasing anthropogenic pressure on rivers and watercourses, this research will also be important for understanding the ecological properties of river streams, especially plant adaptation to diverse habitats where sediment and its deposition play an important role.

New independent researcher at the Department of Polar and Marine Research

Congratulations to Mateusz Moskalik, who obtained the academic degree of associate professor and thus joined the group of independent research workers!

Why Poland, why the Institute?

What makes scientists from distant countries choose Poland and our Institute, what was their scientific path? We are launching a new series, starting with Dr. S. Yaser Moussavi Alashloo from the Department of Geophysical Imaging.

Management’s view

As a follow up of recent 4 – day reporting meeting, we received feedback from our Advisory Board. The team appreciates our work, however, some weaknesses were also pointed out and some recommendations were offered.

Acta Geophysica

Please be invited to read following specially recommended articles from the latest issue:

• The use of QLARM to estimate seismic risk in Kirghizstan at the regional and city scales

• Three-dimensional angle-domain double-square-root migration in VTI media for the large-scale wide-azimuth seismic data

• Koyna earthquakes: a review of the mechanisms of reservoir-triggered seismicity and slip tendency analysis of subsurface faults

• Mapping shoreline change using machine learning: a case study from the eastern Indian coast

• Relationship between selected percentiles and return periods of extreme events