Main research directions
Our research is situated mostly in Central Europe, High mountains (Andes, Tian-Shan, Western Carpathians), High latitude and polar regions (Svalbard, Antarctic peninsula, Scandinavia, Canada):
- Natural hazards: Floods, droughts, storms, mass movements, glacial lake outbursts and their impacts on the landscape and society
- Glacial and periglacial geomorphology, Quaternary science: Deglaciation and its impact on landscape evolution, climate system and biotic migrations
- Hydrology: Landscape changes and rainfall-runoff processes, snow accumulation and snowmelt, water quality
- Climatology: Large-scale circulation patterns, statistical climatology, extreme events
- Landform evolution and palaeoenvironment: Palaeoenvironmental reconstructions, soil erosion and accumulation events, tectonics and landscape evolution
- Advanced technology in geographical research: Applications of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), advanced geophysical methods in geomorphology and soil science
- Biogeography and landscape ecology: Response of forest ecosystems to climate change, landscape structure and animal migrations
Research groups
Four research groups realize the research in the Department of Physical Geography and Geoecology:
- Research group of biogeography, landscape ecology and pedology
- Research group of geomorphology and geodynamics
- Research group of hydrology
- Research group of meteorology and climatology
Research facilities
- Laboratory of physical geography (equipment for sediment and soil analysis)
- Dendrochronological laboratory (fully equipped lab for standard and wood-anatomical methods)
- EcoHydro Lab (basic hydrochemical analyses)
- Monitoring networks of rainfall-runoff and climatologic processes (several catchments in Czechia, Peruvian Andes, Tian-Shan)
- UAV with multiple sensors
- Ground penetrating radar and other geophysical devices
