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We are pleased to announce that five researchers affiliated with the Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences at UMCS, in collaboration with colleagues from Germany, Estonia and other Polish research centres, have published a scientific article in the journal Catena (Elsevier, 140 points in the Polish MEiN ranking; CiteScore: 5.4), available in Open Access.
Mroczek P., Andersen N., Stachowicz-Rybka R., Poska A., Żarski M., Nitychoruk J., Suchora M., Kultys K., Pidek I.A., Bober A., 2025. Climatic and geological controls on the hydrological response of two neighbouring Eemian palaeolakes (Central Poland): A multi-proxy study. Catena 255, 109039. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2025.109039
The study focused on two adjacent lakes located in the Garwolin Plain, which existed during the Eemian – the last interglacial period, approximately 125,000 years ago. Despite their close proximity, the two lakes differed significantly in terms of hydrological regime: Kozłów functioned as an open lake with river outflow, while Struga was a closed-basin lake with no surface drainage.
The authors applied a multi-proxy approach combining pollen analysis, plant macrofossils, stable isotope data and grain size distributions. This enabled a detailed reconstruction of vegetation succession, climatic variability and sedimentary processes. Particular attention was paid to the influence of local geological settings on hydrology and sedimentation.
The results revealed a distinct contrast between the stable, river-fed Kozłów basin and the dynamic, closed Struga system, which responded to climatic shifts with episodic lake-level fluctuations. Periods of climatic optimum (July temperatures ~21 °C, precipitation >1200 mm) were identified, as well as a terminal phase of cooling and drying at the end of the interglacial.
This publication constitutes a significant contribution to research on the Pleistocene climate history of Central Europe. It shows how local geomorphology and hydrological conditions can shape the response of lake systems to broader climatic changes. The comparison of two neighbouring but functionally different lakes allowed the authors to identify diverse mechanisms of environmental response to changes in temperature, precipitation and water balance. The study highlights the importance of local geographical factors in modulating palaeoclimate records and provides a valuable reference point for future regional and interregional comparisons.
Research funded by the National Science Centre, Poland, project no. 2017/27/B/ST10/01905.
Publication list of Institute staff
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