At the Department of Palaeoenvironmental Research (DEPAR), we conduct studies on environmental changes during the Cenozoic. Our analyses focus on the evolution of continental depositional environments and the processes associated with them, as well as on the fauna of this period. The main environments within the scope of our research include glacial, fluvial, and lacustrine systems. Our work is interdisciplinary in nature and spans the fields of geomorphology, sedimentology, stratigraphy, structural geology, palaeotectonics, palaeoecology, palaeozoology, taphonomy, palaeolimnology, and palaeoglagciohydrogeology. An important complement to these studies is cartographic and mathematical modelling.
Most of our projects are carried out in the area of the Central European Plain, where Pleistocene ice sheets determined not only sedimentological processes but also influenced the evolution of the entire natural environment. Our research also concerns the period preceding the Pleistocene glaciations as well as the time following their retreat – up to the present day.
Our studies are often conducted in collaboration with scientists from universities and research centers in Poland and abroad, including Aarhus University (Denmark), the Geological Survey of Finland, Leiden University (the Netherlands), the Max Planck Institute (Germany), and other major scientific institutions. We are members of numerous national and international associations, including INQUA (International Union for Quaternary Research), POLQUA (Polish Quaternary Union), SGP (Association of Polish Geomorphologists) and PTG (Polish Geological Society).
We share our knowledge and experience with students of geology, geography, biology, and archaeology by teaching courses in areas such as Cenozoic geology, geomorphology, glacial processes, and palaeontology.