University of Wrocław 02 | Human - city - environment
Mateusz Strzelecki Since his undergraduate studies, dr hab. Matt C. Strzelecki was curious about the role of the Arctic coastal zone in paraglacial sediment cascades unleashed by rapid glacier retreat. To complete his doctoral studies, he left Poland and moved to the United Kingdom to study the mechanism controlling the development of paraglacial coasts of Svalbard at Durham University. His doctoral thesis provided the first detailed description of gravel-dominated barrier and spit-system evolution since the termination of the Little Ice Age (LIA) in Svalbard. It led to the development of one of the most precise Holocene relative sea-level curves for central Spitsbergen. In addition, he was a pioneer in investigations of weathering processes along Arctic rocky coasts exposed by the retreat of tide-water glaciers. This led to his involvement as one of the lead authors of a state-of-the-art review of Arctic coastal change published by the Geological Society of London Special Publications. His research stays and postdoctoral positions at Alfred Wegener Institute in Potsdam and University Centre in Svalbard, followed by the prestigious National Science Centre Postdoctoral Fellowship, allowed him to continue research on Late Holocene sea-level change and post-LIA coastal evolution in Svalbard. As a result, he became a key expert in the studies on the impact of rapid deglaciation on the formation of barrier coasts of Svalbard. Aside from sedimentary coastal system studies, he has established himself as a leading researcher in polar rock coast studies. He led several field campaigns on the islands of Scandinavia, Svalbard, Greenland and the Antarctic region, concentrating on geomorphological processes operating on rocky cliffs and shore platforms. Achievements in rock coast studies resulted in a nomination for the Co-Chair of Rocky Coasts Working Group of International Association of Geomorphologists. After his return to Wrocław, he also led an EU-supported project focused on the impact of coastal changes on the safety of community infrastructure in Svalbard. His expertise in polar coastal systems led him to be granted nine national research projects where he acted as a principal investigator and appointment as the scientific head of Stanisław Baranowski Polar Station of the University the Wrocław in Spitsbergen and the initiator of Alfred Jahn Cold Region Research Programme at University of Wrocław designed to strengthen our excellence in permafrost and periglacial research. Matt Strzelecki’s recent research concentrates on the effects of tsunamis and storms on the paraglacial coastal environments of Arctic and sub-Arctic regions and the prediction of which sites are most vulnerable to their impact in a warmer future. These ambitious objectives will result in a state-ofthe-art study of the extreme processes shaping cold region coasts, which – in addition to the progress of paraglacial coastal research – will transfer new knowledge to help Arctic communities reduce the geohazard risk as most of their activities are concentrated along the coast.
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