Personal details
Education
Sep 2010- Nov 2016
Institute of Oceanology PAN, Sopot, Poland.
PhD in the field of Earth Sciences- Oceanology. Thesis title: „An interplay between sea ice and thermohaline circulation during Younger Dryas- a multiproxy record of paleoceanographic changes in the European Arctic”. Supervisor: Prof. Marek Zajączkowski
Sep 2005 - Jun 2010
University of Gdansk, Faculty of Oceanography in Gdynia, Poland.
Master in the field of Oceanography- Marine Geology. Thesis title: “The rates of recent hydrological changes in the Hornsund fjord using modern benthic foraminiferal assemblages”. Supervisor: Prof. Marek Zajączkowski
Professional Experience
Feb 2018 - present:
Assistant Professor,
Institute of Oceanology PAN, Sopot, Poland.
2016-2020:
Expert;
Regional Operational Programme of Silesia 2014-2020, Wrocław, Poland.
Nov 2015 - Dec 2015:
Scholarship,
The Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), Barcelona, Spain.
Jan 2013 - Mar 2013:
Lab Assistant;
Department of Geology, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway.
Professional interest
Reconstruction of paleoenvironments in the Arctic seas.
Foraminifera as indicators of environmental changes.
Sedimentary processes in the Arctic fjords.
Publications
- Łącka, M., Michalska D., Pawłowska J., Szymańska N., Szczucinski W., Forwick M., Zajączkowski M., 2020: Multiproxy paleoceanographic study from the western Barents Sea reveals dramatic Younger Dryas onset followed by oscillatory warming trend, Scientific Reports, 10, 15667.
- Łącka, M., Cao, M., Rosell-Melé, A., Pawłowska, J., Kucharska, M., Forwick, M., Zajączkowski, M., 2019: Postglacial paleoceanography of the western Barents Sea: Implications for alkenone-based sea surface temperatures and primary productivity, Quaternary Science Reviews, 224, 105973.
- Łącka, M., Zajączkowski, M., 2016: Does the recent pool of benthic foraminiferal tests in fjordic surface sediments reflect interannual environmental changes? The resolution limit of the foraminiferal record, Annales Societatis Geologorum Poloniae, 86, 59-71.
- Łącka, M., Zajączkowski, M., Forwick, M., Szczuciński, W., 2015: Late Weichselian and Holocene paleoceanography of Storfjordrenna, southern Svalbard, Climate of the Past, 11, 587–603.
- Łącka, M., Pawłowska, J., Zajączkowski, M., 2015: New methods in the reconstruction of Arctic marine palaeoenvironments. In: Tymon Zieliński, Jan Marcin Węsławski, Karol Kuliński (eds) Impact of Climate Changes on Marine Environments, Springer Series: GeoPlanet: Earth and Planetary Sciences, 127-148.
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Weydmann-Zwolicka, A., Prątnicka, P., Łącka, M., Majaneva, S., Cottier, F., & Berge, J., 2021: Zooplankton and sediment flux in two contrasting fjords reveal Atlantification of the Arctic. Science of The Total Environment, 145599.
- Pawłowska, J., Łącka, M., Kucharska, M., Pawlowski, J., Zajączkowski, M., 2020: Multiproxy evidence of the Neoglacial expansion of Atlantic Water to eastern Svalbard, Climate of the Past, 16, 487–501.
- Kucharska, M., Kujawa, A., Pawłowska, J., Łącka, M., Szymańska, N., Lønne, O.J., Zajączkowski, M., 2019: Seasonal changes in foraminiferal assemblages along environmental gradients in Adventfjorden (West Spitsbergen). Polar Biology, 42, 569–580.
- Telesiński, M.M., Przytarska, J.E., Sternal, B., Forwick, M., Szczuciński, W., Łącka, M., Zajączkowski, M., 2018: Palaeoceanographic evolution of the SW Svalbard shelf over the last 14 000 years. Boreas, https://doi.org/10.1111/bor.12282
- Pawłowska J., Łącka M., Kucharska M., Szymańska N., Koziorowska K., Kuliński K., Zajączkowski M., 2017: Benthic foraminifera contribution to fjord modern carbon pools : A seasonal study in Adventfjorden, Spitsbergen. Geobiology 15: 704–714.
- Szymańska N., Pawłowska J., Kucharska M., Kujawa A., Łącka M., Zajączkowski M., 2017: Impact of Shelf Transformed Water (STW) on foraminiferal assemblages in the glacial and outwash fjords of Adventfjorden and Hornsund, Svalbard. Oceanologia, 59, 525—540.
- Pawłowska, J., Zajączkowski, M., Łącka, M., Lejzerowicz, F., Esling, P., and Pawlowski, J., 2016: Palaeoceanographic changes in Hornsund Fjord (Spitsbergen, Svalbard) over the last millennium: new insights from ancient DNA, Climate of the Past, 12, 1459-1472.
- Urbanski, J.A., Wochna, A., Bubak, I., Grzybowski, W., Lukawska-Matuszewska, K., Łącka, M., Śliwińska, S., Wojtasiewicz, B., Zajączkowski, M., 2016 : Application of Landsat 8 imagery to regional-scale assessment of lake water quality, International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 51, 28-36.
- Drewnik, A., Węsławski, J.M., Włodarska-Kowalczuk, M., Łącka, M., Promińska, A., Zaborska, A., 2016: From the worm’s point of view. I: Environmental settings of benthic ecosystems in Arctic fjord (Hornsund, Spitsbergen), Polar Biology, 1-14.
- Wegner, C., Bennett, K.E., de Vernal, A., Forwick, M., Fritz, M., Heikkilä, M., Łącka, M., Lantuit, H., Laska, M. Moskalik, M., O’Regan, M., Pawłowska, J., Promińska, A., Rachold, V., Vonk, J.E., Werner, K., 2015: Variability in transport of terrigenous material on the shelves and the deep Arctic Ocean during the Holocene, Polar Research, 34, 24964.
- Borszcz T., Łącka M., 2012: IV Konferencja Naukowa z cyklu Młodzi w Paleontologii- co nowego w paleontologii w Polsce? Przegląd Geologiczny vol.60, no 6.
Selected conference presentations
2019:
- Łącka M., Cao M., Rosell-Mele A., Pawłowska J., Kucharska M., Forwick M., Zajączkowski M. The impact of sea surface temperatures on primary productivity in the western Barents Sea since the end of the last glaciation. PalaeoArc Conference, Poznań, Poland, Book of Abstracts, p.32, ISBN 978-83-7986-242-9 (oral presentation)
2017:
- Łącka, M., Min Cao, Antoni Rosell-Melé, J. Pawłowska, Małgorzata Kucharska, Matthias Forwick, Marek Zajączkowski „Thermohaline circulation during the Last Glacial Termination - a multiproxy record of paleoceanographic changes in the European Arctic”, 2nd International Meeting of Early Stage Researchers In Palaeontology, 19.-22. May 2017, Sigri, Greece (oral presentation)
2016:
- Łącka, M., Cao, M., Rosell-Melé, A., Pawłowska, J., Kucharska, M., Forwick, M., Zajączkowski, M. Alkenone-based reconstruction of sea surface conditions since last glacial times off SW Svalbard, The Fourth 'PAST Gateways' (Palaeo-Arctic Spatial and Temporal Gateways) International Conference, Trondheim, Norway, May 23.-27.2016 (poster presentation)
- Pawłowska, J., Łącka, M., Szymańska, N., Kucharska, M., Kujawa, A., Zajączkowski, M. Size matters: the response of foraminfera test size to changing climate, The Fourth 'PAST Gateways' (Palaeo-Arctic Spatial and Temporal Gateways) International Conference, Trondheim, Norway, May 23.-27.2016 (poster presentation)
- Pawłowska, J., Lejzerowicz, F., Łącka, M., Zajączkowski, M., Pawlowski, J., Ancient environmental DNA: a paleoceanographer’s perspective. The Fourth 'PAST Gateways' (Palaeo-Arctic Spatial and Temporal Gateways) International Conference, Trondheim, Norway, May 23.-27.2016 (oral presentation)
2015:
- Łącka, M., Zajączkowski, M., Forwick, M., Szczuciński, W., Pawłowska, J. and Kucharska, M. A number of several warmer spells noted on eastern Svalbard during Younger Dryas - a bidecadal resolution of paleoceanographic record of Atlantic Water variability, In: Meyer, H. and Chapligin, B. (Eds.) The 'PAST Gateways' third international conference and workshop, Potsdam, Germany, May 18-22, Schriften der GeoUnion Alfred-Wegener-Stiftung 52 p., 2015 (poster presentation)
- Lucchi, R.G., Kovacevic, V., Aliani, S., Caburlotto, A., Celussi, M., Corgnati, L., Cosoli, S. Deponte, D., Ersdal, E.A., Fredriksson, S., Goszczko, I., Husum, K., Ingrosso, G., Laberg, J.S., Łącka, M., Langone, L., Mansutti, P., Mezgec, K., Morigi, C., Ponomarenko, E. Realdon, G., Relitti, F., Robijn, A., Skogseth, R., Tirelli, V.: Present and past flow regime on contourite drifts west of Spitsbergen: preliminary results from Eurofleet 2 PREPARED cruise (June 2014), In: Meyer, H. and Chapligin, B. (Eds.) The 'PAST Gateways' third international conference and workshop, Potsdam, Germany, May 18-22, 2015 (poster presentation)
- Łącka, M., Zajączkowski, M., Forwick, M., Szczuciński, W., Pawłowska, J. and Kucharska, M. A number of several warmer spells noted on eastern Svalbard during Younger Dryas - a bidecadal resolution of paleoceanographic record of Atlantic Water variability, In: Abstracts of 31st IAS Meeting of Sedimentology held in Krakow on 22nd–25th of June 2015. Polish Geological Society, Kraków, p. 322 (oral presentation)
- Kucharska, M., Łącka, M., Pawłowska, J., Jørgen Lønne, O., Zajączkowski, M. Seasonal changes in benthic foraminifera assemblages in surface sediments of Adventfjorden (west Spitsbergen) – preliminary results of winter studies. The 45th International Arctic Workshop, Bergen, Norway (poster presentation).
2014:
- Łącka M., Geology of the Baltic Sea. III Konferencja GIS w Nauce. 23.-25. June 2014. Gdańsk, Poland. (invited talk)
2013:
- Łącka M., Zajączkowski M., Forwick M., Szczuciński W., Vorren T.O., 2013. Late Weichselian and Holocene Paleoceanography of Storfjordrenna, Southern Spitsbergen. Holocene Climate Change Conference, Geological Society, London, UK. Abstract Book, 19. (oral presentation)
- Łącka M., Zajączkowski M., Forwick M., Szczuciński W., Vorren T.O., 2013. Late Weichselian and Holocene Paleoceanography of Storfjordrenna, Southern Spitsbergen. Workshop in Arctic Marine Geology and Geophysics, Tromsø, Norway. Abstract Book (oral presentation)
- Łącka M., Zajączkowski M., Forwick M., Szczuciński W., Vorren T.O., 2013. Multi-proxy evidence of Atlantic water inflow to the eastern part of Svalbard during the last 14 ka.11th International Conference on Paleoceanography, Barcelona, Spain. (poster presentation), Abstract Book, P-087
- Łącka M., Zajączkowski M., Forwick M., Szczuciński W. Wielowskaźnikowy zapis napływu wód atlantyckich w rejon wschodniego Svalbardu podczas ostatnich 14 000 lat. Marine Geology- present a key to the past, the past a key to the future. The conference dedicated to Professor Stanisław Lorenc, Poznan, Poland. Bogucki Wydawnictwo Naukowe. Abstract Book, ISBN 978-83-63400-91-0, 50 (poster presentation).
2012:
- Brosnan I., Chen L., Demchev D., Depledge D., Eucker W., Dahl J., Gabrielsen K. M., Gudakova M., Ivichev I., Jiang Y., Khan A., Łącka M., Lembke-Jene L., Metuzals K., Neumann T., Nuykina E., Ohnishi F., Pearce C., Yan Q., Riemann-Campe K., Smirnova J., Stepien A., Strey-Mellema S., Valkonen J., Vanek S., Vyazilova A., Wardell L. J., Zakharova T., Zhuravskiy D., 2012. An interdisciplinary assessment of the near-term future Arctic: Now through 2030. International Polar Year Conference, Montreal, Canada. Poster no. 851 (poster presentation)
- Łącka M., Zajączkowski M., Forwick M., Szczuciński W., 2012. Atlantic water advection to the European Arctic in Holocene: Paleoceanographic record of the West Spitsbergen Current fluctuations. Joint ART-APECS Science Workshop “Overcoming challenges of observation to model integration in marine ecosystem response to sea ice transitions”, Sopot, Poland. Book of abstracts, 23 (poster presentation).
2011:
- Łącka M., Zajączkowski M., 2011. Modern foraminiferal assemblages as bioindicators of recent hydrological changes in Hornsund fiord. Arctic Frontiers Conference, Tromsø, Norway. Abstracts, 161 (poster presentation)
- Łącka M., 2011. Fossilized STD: The using of foraminifera to reconstruct paleo temperatures and salinity in the Arctic waters. III Symposium for the Young Scientists, Sopot, Poland (oral presentation).
2010:
- Łącka M., 2010. The rates of recent hydrological changes in the Hornsund fiord using modern benthic foraminiferal assemblages. IX Symposium of the Young Oceanographers, Gdynia, Poland (oral presentation)
Projects
- 2020-ongoing: EEA and Norway Grants, 2019/34/H/ST10/00682: Sedimentary ancient DNA - a new proxy to investigate the impact of environmental change on past and present biodiversity in Nordic Seas (NEEDED) (project investigator; Co-leader of WP2)
- 2020- ongoing: National Science Centre in Poland- 2019/33/B/ST10/00297: Multiproxy analysis of the sea surface temperature impact on primary productivity of the western and northern Svalbard shelf in the Holocene (project investigator)
- 2016- ongoing project, National Science Centre in Poland- 2016/21/B/ST10/02308: The Holocene history of Greenland Gyre (project investigator)
- 2014-2017, National Science Centre in Poland - 2013/11/B/ST10/00276: Warm and cold periods of Late Holocene in European Arctic. Paleogenetic record in marine sediment of Hornsund (Spitsbergen, Svalbard) (project investigator)
- 2014-2017, The National Center for Research and Development- Pol-Nor/201992/93/2014: Declining size - a general response to climate warming in Arctic fauna? (project investigator)
- 2012-2016, Academy of Finland- Quantifying climate variability since Late-glacial in Southern Svalbard (QUAL) (project investigator)
- 2012-2015, National Science Centre in Poland- 2012/05/N/ST10/03696: The spatial distribution and biodiversity of modern foraminifera and the isotopic composition of Storfjorden environment, East Spitsbergen (project leader)
- 2010-2013, National Science Centre in Poland - N N306469938: Atlantic Water advection to the European Arctic in Holocene. Paleoceanographic record of the West Spitsbergen Current fluctuations (project investigator)
Awards
- IO PAN Director’s Award for the outstanding publication activity, 2016
- IO PAN Director’s Scholarship Award for the outstanding PhD students, 2013
- IO PAN Director’s Scholarship Award for the outstanding PhD students, 2012
- Winner of the "Outstanding Poster Award" during the conference Arctic Frontiers 2011 – Arctic Tipping Points Tromsø, Norway, (23.-28.01.2011). Title of the poster: Łącka M., Zajączkowski M., Modern foraminiferal assemblages as bioindicators of recent hydrological changes in Hornsund fiord.
Field - work experience
Participation in 6 seagoing expeditions to the Arctic (Greenland Sea, Fram Strait, Svalbard), Jan Mayen, Faroe Islands and Baltic Sea onboard several research vessels (R/V Oceania, R/V G.O. SARS). Sediment coring, surface sediment sampling, water sampling, seismic surveys.
2015 and 2016: Adventfjorden, Svalbard, polar night campaign, sediment cores sampling;
2014: Southern Svalbard, G.O.SARS, Present and past flow regime on contourite drifts west of Spitsbergen (PREPARED), Eurofleets-2 polar call 2013, accepted with 11 days of ship-time on the R/V G.O. SARS (5-15 June 2014);
2012: AREX R/V Oceania;
2011, 2012: Gulf of Gdansk, core, sediments sampling, R/V Oceania;
2010, 2012, 2014: Sørkappland, Spitsbergen- measuring the sub-bottom currents; sampling;
2008: Aland Islands, Finland- measuring the recent eustatic sea level rise;
2007: Rügen, Germany- chalk cliffs, sampling;
2006-2009: Puck Bay, Gulf of Gdansk; trawling, sampling, R/V Oceanograf II.
Courses/Certificates
2011:
- International PhD workshop “Marine biodiversity under change” parallel to the Arctic Frontiers Conference, Young Scientist Forum and the ARCTOS PhD School (Svolvær/Lofoten, Norway)
- Climate modeling in the Arctic, the prediction of the changes in the last 30 years, Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Centre (Longyearbyen, Svalbard);
- Motorboat Skipper’s Certificate of Competence;
- 1st degree CMAS (World Underwater Federation), Dry Suit Diver, Nitrox Diver;
- PhD course: Polar Marine Sedimentary Environments at University of Tromsø (Tromsø, Norway);
- Course on planktonic foraminifera from the Arctic regions conducted by Katarzyna Zamelczyk (Tromsø, Norway);
- Statistical course (IOPAS/Sopot, Poland);
2010:
- Workshop on Polar Sedimentary Processes and Archives (Loughborough, UK);
- Course of management of the scientific projects (at the Innopomerania Science panel, Poland);
- Volunteer at Arctic Frontiers conference (Tromsø, Norway);
2008:
- Workshop on GIS, GIScience Laboratory, Institute of Oceanography (Gdynia, Poland).
Outreach
2015 and 2016: paleontology workshop for primary school students organized by Fundacja Pankracy;
2014: The Baltic Festival of Science, “Paleontolog detektywem” stand, Sopot, Poland (Organizer);
2013: lectures for the high school students organized by Gdyńska Szkoła Społeczna;
2012: The Baltic Festival of Science, PALEOBlitz stand, Sopot, Poland (Organizer);
2012: The International Arctic in the Rapid Transition & APECS Workshop: “Overcoming challenges of observation to model integration in marine ecosystem response to sea ice transitions”, Sopot, Poland (Organizer);
since 2012: Symposium for the Young Scientists, Sopot, Poland (Organizer);
2011 -2015: lectures for high school students organized by Fundacja Rozwoju Uniwersytetu Gdańskiego.
Funding
2014:
- Financial support from Wojewódzki Fundusz Ochrony Środowiska i Gospodarki Wodnej in Gdańsk to arrange a stand during XII The Baltic Festival of Science; RVII-02/84/2014. Awarded budget: 9.000- PLN, -approx. 2.250 - €
2013:
- The Geological Society travel & accommodation grant to attend the two- days “Holocene Climate Change Conference” in Burlington House, London, UK (350,- £)
- PAGES and SCORE travel & accommodation grant to attend the six-days “11th International Conference on Paleoceanography” in Barcelona, Spain (500,- €)
2012:
- Leader of the project „The spatial distribution and biodiversity of modern foraminifera and the isotopic composition of Storfjorden environment, East Spitsbergen”; 2012/05/N/ST10/03696 awarded by National Science Center in Poland. Awarded budget: 141. 700- PLN, - approx. 35.000 - €
- Financial suport from Wojewódzki Fundusz Ochrony Środowiska i Gospodarki Wodnej in Gdańsk to arrange IV National Conference for the Young Paleontologists; WFOŚ/D/110/70/2012. Awarded budget: 6.000- PLN, -approx. 1.450 - €
2011:
- The Young Scientist Forum travel & accommodation grant to attend the Arctic Frontiers conference in Tromsø, Norway (2 200 NOK)
Editorship
Borszcz Tomasz & Łącka Magdalena (eds.). 2012. „Paleontologia w Oceanografii, Oceanografia w Paleontologii”, Book of Abstracts (in Polish). IV National Conference for the Young Paleontologists, Sopot, Poland (Organizer);
Membership of professional organisations
2015- present: International Association of Sedimentologists;
2011- present: Sopot Scientific Society;
2011-2012: President of post-graduate studies in Institute of Oceanology PAN;
2011-2015: Scientific Council of Institute of Oceanology PAN;
2011- present: The Cushman Foundation for Foraminiferal Research;
2010- present: APECS (Association of Polar Early Career Scientists), APECS Poland.