Institute Julius von Payer for Subarctic and Arctic Research

ANNOTATION

The institute is named after the  North Bohemian native Julius von Payer. This important geographer and polar explorer, born in 1842 in Teplice-Šanov, is connected in the Arctic research especially with the discovery of the archipelago of Franz Josef Land, where he named, among others, the Gulf of Teplice or the Island of Šanov. He was promoted to knighthood for his merits.

History

In recent years, students and teachers of the Faculty of Environment have repeatedly visited and established contacts with educational and research institutions in Northern Europe, which deal with the issue of subpolar and polar regions. These were mainly universities and polar stations in Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Sweden and Greenland. The Faculty of the Environment met the requirements of the internationalization of its activities and established a project team for the study of cold regions in Northern Europe.

Goals

In addition to targeted research, the Institute’s main goal will be to popularize the activities of individual team members and to organize meetings of similarly focused specialists. The Payer Institute plans to involve academics across the faculties of the J. E. Purkyně University and with the cooperation of external researchers.

Geographical focus

At present, the Institute focuses on research activities in the Subarctic region, a geographical area near the Arctic Circle but not exceeding it towards the north.

European countries in this zone share a number of similar environmental protection issues with the Czech Republic, such as historical onus following coal mining, or issues of building a network of protected areas. Important is also the fact that subarctic conditions prevail also in the highest places of the Czech mountains and the Central European Arcto-Alpine tundra shows many similarities to the Arctic tundra. These Czech ecosystems can therefore be used as suitable model examples for comparison with habitats in Northern Europe.

TEAM MEMBERS

Ing. R. Pokorný, Ph.D. (KŽP/FŽP UJEP)
Scientific Head of the Institute

Skills: paleoecology, geology

DOI: 10.1007/s12371-018-0296-x, DOI: 10.1111/bor.12332, 10.1080/04353676.2018.1463142, 10.1080/10420940.2016.1260567, 10.1016/j.palaeo.2017.07.033, 10.1007/s00710-016-0483-x, 10.1016/j.coal.2016.08.009)

Jiří Moravec, Ph.D. (KŽP/FŽP UJEP)
Coordinator of the Institute

Skills: economics and management of protected areas

Doc. Mgr. Pavel Raška, Ph.D. (KGEO/PřF UJEP)

Skills: geomorphology, geoecology

DOI: 10.1007/s12371-018-0296-x

Mgr. Michaela Czerneková (KBIO/PřF UJEP)

Skills: zoology

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0164062, 10.1371/journal.pone.0201430, 10.1111/zoj.12440, 10.1007/s00709-016-1027-2

Ing. Johana Vardarman, Ph.D. (KŽP/FŽP UJEP)

Skills: nature protection, management of the protected areas

Mgr. et Ing. Jiří Lehejček, Ph.D. (KŽP/FŽP)

Skills: dendrochronology

DOI: 10.1016/j.dendro.2018.02.010, 10.1007/s00300-016-2021-z, 10.1111/bor.12244, 10.5817/CPR2015-2-16, 10.5817/CPR2013-1-2, 10.5817/CPR2013-2-13

DIPLOMA THESIS OF STUDENTS

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION OF INSTITUTE MEMBERS

University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland

Jarðfeingi/Faroese Geological Survey, Hoyvík, Faroe Islands, Denmark

University of the Faroe Islands, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands, Denmark

Kristianstad University, Kristianstad, Sweden

Lund University, Lund, Sweden

University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom

KEY ACTIVITIES

1. Subarctic Undisturbed Regions – Transdisciplinary Utility Research (SURTUR)