Environment and Climate Changes:
Studies within the scope of environmental protection, research into climate changes, their monitoring, forecasting and prevention, as well as adapting to these changes, are one of the most rapidly progressing research and development areas at the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow. These research subjects are an important part of scientific and research activities at the following faculties: Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Energy and Fuels, Faculty of Physics and Applied Computer Science, Faculty of Mining Surveying and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Foundry Engineering, and Faculty of Drilling, Oil and Gas. Research works conducted at AGH-UST are a response to the growing economic and social demand in Poland and worldwide due to the existing and rising threats. An important feature of this research is fruitful collaboration with the Polish government, European Union agencies, industry and non-governmental institutions.
Problems connected with the effective use of the country's energy resource base in the conditions of balanced development lead to the advancement of research on natural fuel resources and reserves in Poland, and their proper utilization. The above subjects are connected with the experimental research into the processes of sorption/ desorption on hard coal and mineral sorbents in the light of environmental protection, research into physical chemistry properties of coal-based and inorganic materials, combustion of natural gas with the use of nitrogen-poor oxidizers, application of layered aluminosilicates in adsorption and catalytic processes. Research is also conducted into the resources of other raw materials, as well as fresh and mineral underground waters.
An important activity area of AGH-UST researchers is studies within the scope of renewable sources of energy. An example of this type of research is geothermics, which encompasses research into the methodology of identifying the thermal potential of rock masses, along with the preparation and exploitation technology of borehole heat exchangers.
Research in the field of environmental protection aims at determining the influence of industrial activity (especially mining, metallurgical engineering, oil industry, and foundry engineering) on the environment. Its aim is the development of new methods leading to the reduction of pollution in the air, soil, as well as surface and underground waters. The influence of municipal economy, tourism and other human activities is also monitored.
Research into climatic changes is conducted on the basis of geological and geophysical data, such as the information preserved in tree trunks, skeletons of tropical coral reefs, glaciers, sediments on ocean, sea and lake floors. For a paleoclimatologist it is a substitute for such modern instruments of climate measurement as thermometers or instruments used for the measurement of the amount of rainfall. Research is also conducted into other fossil indicators of climate: coal, bauxite, iron oxides (red beds), evaporates, tillites (ancient glacial moraines), warm-temperate fauna and flora.
Regular measurements of the concentration of main greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, N2O) in the air in Poland are executed on the analytical level comparable to the best world laboratories. AGH-UST scientists and researchers have participated in many research projects of the European Union within the Framework Programmes 4, 5 and 6, connected with research into the dynamics of carbon circulation on the European continent. Integrated Carbon Observing System (ICOS) is a European initiative within the framework of European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI). ICOS has received EU funding for the preliminary phase of the system (2008-2012). It is estimated that ICOS will continue to work for the period of 30 years, and will be financed by EU member countries.
A comparison of current measurements with paleoclimatic data will allow a more precise calibration of results and better forecasting of future climatic changes. Among others, they will be based on some existing and currently-developed computer models.
