Earth and related environmental sciences

Biology and ecology of marine zooplankton in boreal waters (e.g., Baltic Sea) and polar regions (both the Arctic and the Southern Ocean). Arctic and Antarctic marine ecology, with a special focus on zooplankton (genetics, population dynamics, distribution patterns, and regime shifts).

Manages the Malta Seismic Network and Virtual Mediterranean Network, with monitoring and rapid evaluation of earthquakes. Research focusses on seismicity, seismic source processes in Central Mediterranean, offshore fault systems, geodynamic processes and seismic hazard; integrating seismicity monitoring with real-time sea-level measurements for rapid assessment, modelling and forecast of earthquake-generated tsunami; site-response studies; dynamics and evolution of coastal landforms, in particular cliff and beach environments, and associated marine/meteo-related risks.

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=o48LercAAAAJ&hl=en

Dr Charles Galdies is a senior lecturer with the Division of Environmental Management and Planning within the Institute of Earth Systems. He has received his Ph.D. in Remote Sensing and GIS from Durham University (UK) in 2005. He studied ways to improve small-scale weather and ocean forecasting in the central Mediterranean region using novel remote sensing observations of the ocean and atmosphere. Dr Galdies previously served as Chief Meteorological Officer of the Malta Meteorological Office from 2007 to 2011, and Deputy Executive Director of the International Ocean Institute Headquarters.

The Physical Oceanography Research Group (PO-Res.Grp) of the University of Malta has a long track record of participation in joint collaborative projects in some cases as lead partner such as in the case of the Interreg Italia-Malta CALYPSO projects which led to the operational HF radar network for the Maltese Islands and the Malta-Sicily Channel. Through these projects strong links exist with both local and regional stakeholders. It is also a partner in several European and Mediterranean networks including MonGOOS (the GOOS Regional Alliance for the Mediterranean) and MedGLOSS.

• Behavioural, physiological and biochemical diversity of benthic invertebrates
• Structural and functional diversity of benthic communities in the Gulf of Gdańsk
• Non-indigenous species in the southern Baltic Sea (distribution and spreading,  adaptation to new environment and monitoring methods)

In our research group we study past environmental change possible to reconstruct based on lake sediments. We focus on climate-related and human-related changes recorded over the last several thousand years. For correct interpretation of sediment records, we also investigate the conditions of modern sedimentation processes in lakes. We use mainly geochronological, sedimentological, geochemical, and biological methods.

The research projects have been focused on: endocrine disruptive chemicals (bisphenol A, 4-tert-octylphenol, 4- nonylphenol); mercury and methylmercury; toxic metals; iron speciation; nutrients; carbon (inorganic and organic forms, black carbon, dissolved and suspended forms); methane; microplastic; photodegradation processes.

Scientific activities of the Department of Marine Geology cover coast, coastal zone as well as open marine water, mainly of the Baltic Sea region, with the main research focus on Quaternary geology, sedimentology, geodynamics, litho- and biostratigraphy.

The main fields of research cover:

Out team study climate variability and change in the area of the Baltic Sea basin and its relationship with global processes. We are also interested in regional processes in the area of the Northern Atlantic and Europe and relationships with local climatic, hydrological and oceanographic conditions. Further we study quantitative and qualitative description of the influence of the Atlantic Ocean on the climatic conditions in Poland, energy and mass streams between the sea surface and the atmosphere and some aspects of historical climatology.