Daniel Kepski

Polish Academy of Sciences | PAN · Institute of Geophysics

Main aim of the work assumed recognition of physicochemical changes in snowpack occurring during the melting period. Properties of snow cover had been identified at two sites in Western Sudetes mountains (860 and 1228 m asl) in SW Poland since the end of January, and monitored until the disappearance of snow in late Spring. Snow pit measurements an...

Snow cover is one of the crucial factors influencing the plant distribution in harsh Arctic regions. In tundra environments, wind redistribution of snow leads to a very heterogeneous spatial distribution which influences growth conditions for plants. Therefore, relationships between snow cover and vegetation should be analyzed spatially. In this st...

The Svalbard archipelago, located at the Arctic sea-ice edge between 74 and 81∘ N, is ∼60 % covered by glaciers. The region experiences rapid variations in atmospheric flow during the snow season (from late September to May) and can be affected by air advected from both lower and higher latitudes, which likely impact the chemical composition of sno...

The aim of the study was to identify the snow cover distribution in the southern Spitsbergen tundra environment and to quantify its relationship with the topography and land cover. This was achieved by correlating vectorized cartographic materials, modeled climatic parameters and calculated topographic indices with snow cover properties measured in...

Ongoing global warming particularly affects the coldest regions of our planet, where thunderstorm activity is considered to be the lowest. Scientific studies usually predict that lightning will become more frequent in polar areas in a warmer world. The aim of this study is to test this hypothesis and present the current knowledge on thunderstorm oc...

Many characteristics of atmospheric air are measured in Svalbard, including levels of chemical pollution, dark dust connected to soot, and living organisms, but most of these studies happen in Ny-Ålesund. Air monitoring was initiated as early as the 1970s, and multiple atmospheric components have been added to the monitoring over time (especially s...

Snow cover is a key element in the water cycle, global heat balance and in the condition of glaciers. Characterised by high temporal and spatial variability, it is subject to short- and long-term changes in climatic conditions. This paper presents a unique dataset of snow measurements on Hansbreen, an Arctic glacier in Svalbard. The dataset include...

Winter tourism can generate environmental pollution and affect microbial ecology in mountain ecosystems. This could stimulate the development of antibiotic resistance in snow and its dissemination through the atmosphere and through snow melting. Despite these potential impacts, the effect of winter tourism on the snow antibiotic resistome remains t...

Ground-based observations are critical requirements for many disciplines that are trying to monitor climate change in a remote environment such as the Svalbard archipelago. This overview of cameras operating in Svalbard has been complied by searching for specific applications that monitor the snow cover and by collecting information about images th...

The Svalbard archipelago, between 74° and 81° N, is ∼60 % covered by glaciers and located at the Arctic sea ice edge. The region experiences rapid variations in atmospheric flow during the snow season (from late September to May) and can be affected by air advected both from lower and higher latitudes, which likely impact the chemical composition o...

Unpublished original version of the PhD thesis defended in 2018 (in Polish).

The aim of this paper is to comprehensively evaluate the abiotic factors that influence changes in the annual growth rates of selected species of tundra plants (Saxifraga oppositifolia L. and Salix polaris Wahlenb.). The study was conducted in the area of the Fuglebergsletta coastal plain, in the vicinity of the Polish Polar Station (Wedel Jarlsber...

Distribution and properties of snow cover on the Hornsund Fjord coast[...]

The spatial distribution of snow and the timing of the snow melt are crucial factors for all land ecosystems on Svalbard, impacting e.g. the thermal regime of permafrost, the hydrological cycle, as well as vegetation and land fauna. In our study we present effects of orthorectification and classification of images acquired with time lapse camera in...