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History of arctic-alpine flora recorded in sediments – first fieldwork in the PIONEER project

In March, our scientists, Michał Ronikier and Tomasz Suchan, spent a week in the frosty and snowy scenery of the Gąsienicowa Valley, inaugurating fieldwork as part of the PIONEER project carried out at the IB PAS. During the expedition, the first sediment cores from three high-mountain lakes were collected. The cores were sampled using a lightweight Uwitec device from the frozen lake surfaces, through the ice holes drilled in 1 m-thick ice. Ancient DNA will be isolated from the samples, which will be used to reconstruct the past assemblages of Tatra plants. The expedition was organized together with two other teams - from the Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization PAS and the Institute of Geological Sciences PAS – led by colleagues experienced in collecting lake sediments: Michał Słowiński and Michał Gąsiorowski. The next sampling campaign is planned for the summer.

Below is a photo report from the expedition.

Two men stand on the frozen, snow-covered surface of a pond. One of them is drilling a hole in the ice with a large auger

On the frozen surface of the Czarny Staw Gąsienicowy lake – drilling a hole.
Photo: Michał Ronikier.

A snowmobile pulls a loaded sledge. In the distance, a person with trekking poles walks through the snow among sparse spruces

Transport of materials to the drilling site.
Photo: Tomasz Suchan.

Three people in an completely white, snowy landscape. They leave a trail in the deep snow. One is carrying a long object

Transport of materials to the drilling site.
Photo: Michał Ronikier.

A distant view of a group of people standing on a frozen and snow-covered pond surrounded by white mountain slopes

On the frozen surface of the Czarny Staw Gąsienicowy lake.
Photo: Michał Ronikier.

Several people set up their equipment on the surface of a frozen pond. The pond is surrounded by snow-capped mountains

Preparation for sediment profile sampling.
Photo: Michał Ronikier.

View from above of a person digging a hole with a shovel in snow. He is wearing winter hiking clothes and a hood on his head

Preparatory work before drilling the hole.
Photo: Michał Ronikier.

Several people at a hole dug in the snow and ice. Some of them are holding a long tube-shaped device vertically

Sediment profile sampling with a Uwitec device.
Photo: Tomasz Suchan.

Two people, visible from the waist down, stand by a hole in the ice. They hold thin ropes that sink into the water

Sediment profile sampling with a Uwitec device.
Photo: Michał Ronikier.

An irregularly shaped hole in the ice. The dark blue color of the water contrasts with the almost white ice

A hole in the ice prepared for sampling the sediment profile.
Photo: Michał Ronikier.