PHYSICS AND ENGINEERING EDUCATION FOR ISOTOPIC ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

2. PHYSICS AND ENGINEERING EDUCATION FOR ISOTOPIC ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION Anna Pazdur and Grzegorz Adamiec Silesian University of Technology Faculty of Mathematics and Physics Institute of Physics, Department of Radioisotopes (GADAM Centre of Excellence) Krzywoustego 2, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland www.carbon14.pl

3. EDUCATION ACTIVITIES

4. SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND • Basic research of GADAM Centre into radioisotope methods: • radiometric and luminescence methods of absolute dating, • stable isotopes and their applications. • These disciplines are of the great importance for the development of other sciences: • geology and other earth sciences, • environmental sciences, • archaeology.

5. The Centre focuses its work on methods that provide: • different climate proxies and climate related data, • carbon and oxygen stable isotope ratios are used as palaeothermometers, • information about the global carbon cycle, • data regarding changes in solar activity and Earth’s magnetic field, • information about contemporary and past soil erosion and sedimentation processes in different environments, • chronological framework for geological and environmental processes and for archaeological cultures at different time scales.

6. FULL TIME STUDIES • Specialisation: • ‘Environmental physics’ • (started in the first half of nineties of the last century) • New specialisations, 2005: • ‘Physics in environmental protection’ • ‘Physics in earth sciences and archaeology’

7. Blocks of subjects of fundamental education: • ·fundamentals of experimental physics, • · mathematical subjects, • · fundamentals of computer sciences and computerized measurement systems, • · fundamentals of electrical and electronic measurements.

8. Nuclear radiation (alfa and gamma) spectrometry

9. Blocks of professional subjects of • ‘Physics in environmental protection’: • · geophysics and physics of the atmosphere, • · measurements and dosimetry of nuclear radiation, • · radiation protection, • · isotopic control of food and fuels, • · acoustic measurements and noise protection, • · technologies in environmental protection, • · biology, ecology, and soil protection.

10. Liquid scintillation spectrometry of beta radiation

11. Vacuum line for graphite target preparation (14C research)

12. Blocks of professional subjects of ‘Physics in Earth sciences and archaeology’: · measurements of nuclear radiation, · mass spectrometry, · geosphere and matter circulation, · palaeoclimatic changes and methods of their reconstruction, · dating of rocks, minerals and archaeological objects by means of isotope methods, · history and archaeological dating of cultures.

13. Mass spectrometry for light stable isotopes

14. EXTRAMURAL POST-DIPLOMA STUDIES • ‘Methods of absolute dating and applications” • Non-resident, post-MSc studies assisted by Internet. • The language of the studies is English. • Upon completion of the Course and defending a thesis the student will receive a diploma certifying the completion of post-MSc studies. • The aim of the course: • the integration of different disciplines at the university level and supplementary interdisciplinary education for natural science graduates, earth science graduates, and archaeology graduates.

15. Luminescence dosimetry and dating of mineral grains

16. The objectives of the Post-MSc course: · encouraging young researchers specialised in archaeology, earth sciences, and environmental sciences to apply absolute dating methods in solving problems relevant to their research work, · acquainting young researchers with isotope and radiometric methods used in investigations of natural and human transformed environment, · dissemination of information about dating methods and isotope methods among natural and earth scientists, and archaeologists, · education of students in physical basis of dating methods and isotope methods with respect to palaeoenvironmental aspects of possible applications of these methods, · preparing young researchers for work in interdisciplinary research teams.

17. MAIN TOPICS OF SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND

18. ISOTOPES IN CONTEMPORARY ENVIRONMENT • Stable isotopes: • hydrogen isotopes 1H, 2H, • carbon isotopes 12C, 13C, • oxygen isotopes 16O, 18O • Unstable isotopes: • hydrogen isotope 3H • carbon isotope 14C • caesium and lead isotopes 137Cs, 210Pb

19. TREES AS BIOINDICATORS OF GREENHOUSE CO2

20. Carbon isotopes in tree rings

21. 13C (Augustów, North-Eastern Poland) in annual tree-rings and emission of CO2 estimated by Marland

22. The fossil component of atmospheric CO2 estimated on the basis of 14C (Upper Silesia region)

23. Agricultural terraces near Gliwice

24. 137Cs in soils Vertical distribution of 137Cs at a soils profile at a site in southern Poland

25. Brynica River 8 7 1 5 4 10a 10 00 0 3 9 Drinking water reservoir Upper Silesia region Core No. 9 6 water 13 12 11a 11 missing sediment 2 lake sediment bottom Brynica river

26. 210Pb in water reservoirs 210Pb age of a water reservoir sediment from a site in Upper Silesia

27. ISOTOPES IN PALAEOENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 14C unstable isotope - time scale construction T1/2=5730 lat 18O stable isotope in carbonates - paleothermometer

28. Spring and summer temperature

29. HUMAN HISTORY ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL BACKGROUND • The cumulative probability distributions based on calibrated 14C dates: • 14C dates sets for Mesolithic and Neolithic sites in Poland during the last 15,000 BP • 14C dates sets from sediment with well-defined sedimentation conditions (speleothems, peat) • The grey areas show time intervals in which the climatic conditions were conducive to increased human settling.

31. REFERENCES 1. Pawełczyk, S., Pazdur, A. and Hałas, S., “Stable carbon isotopic composition of tree rings from a pine tree from Augustów Wilderness, Poland, as temperature and local environment conditions indicator”, Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies, Vol. 40, No. 2, 2004, pp. 145-154. 2. Pawełczyk, S. and Pazdur, A., “Carbon isotopic composition of tree rings as tool for biomonitoring CO2 level”, Radiocarbon, Vol. 46, No. 2, 2004, pp. 701-719. 3. Rakowski, A.Z., Pawełczyk, S. and Pazdur, A., “Changes of 14C Concentration in Modern Trees from Upper Silesia Region, Poland”, Radiocarbon, Vol. 43, No. 2B, 2001, pp. 633-643. 4. Levin, I. and Kromer, B., “Twenty years of high – precision atmospheric 14CO2 observations at Schauinsland station”, Radiocarbon, Vol. 39, No. 2, 1997, pp. 205 – 218. 5. Marland, G., Boden, T.A. and Andres, R.J., “Global, Regional, and National Fossil Fuel CO2 Emissions”, Trends: A Compendium of Data on Global Change. Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge, Tenn., U.S.A., 2001, Http://cdiac.ornl.gov/ndps/ndp030.html.

32. 6. Poręba, G., Bluszcz, A. and Śnieszko, Z., “Concentration and vertical distribution of 137Cs in agricultural and undisturbed soils from Chechło and Czarnocin areas” Geochronometria, Vol. 22, 2003, pp. 67-72. 7. Sikorski, J. and Bluszcz, A. “Testing applicability of 210Pb method to date sediments of human–made Lake Kozłowa Góra”, Geochronometria, Vol. 22, 2003, pp. 63-66. 8. Geyh, M. A. and Schleicher, H., Absolute Age Determination. Physical and Chemical Dating Methods and Their Applications, 1990, Springer, Berlin. 9. Bluszcz, A. “Simultaneus OSL and TL dating of sediments”, Quaternary Science Reviews Vol. 20, 2001, pp.761-766. 10. Pazdur, A., Dobrowolski, R., Durakiewicz, T., Mohanti, M., Piotrowska, N. and Srikanta Das, “δ13C and δ18O time record and palaeoclimatic implications of the Holocene calcareous tufaceous sediments from southern Poland and India (Orissa), Geochronometria Vol. 21, 2002, pp. 97-108. 11. Piotrowska, N., Pazdur, A., Szczepanek, M. and Zajadacz, W., “Register of Samples Editor – microcomputer database system for radiocarbon dates”, Geochronometria, Vol. 23, 2004, pp. 51-57. 12. Michczyńska, D.J. and Pazdur, A., “Shape analysis of cumulative probability density function of radiocarbon dates set in the study of climate change in Late Glacial and Holocene”, Radiocarbon Vol. 46, 2004, pp. 733-744. 13. Pazdur, A., Fogtman, M., Michczyński, A., Pawlyta, J. and Zając M., “14C chronology of mesolithic sites from Poland on the background of environmental changes”, Radiocarbon Vol. 46, No. 2, 2004 pp. 809-826.