Logistics

Date: 28–30 August 2026
Location: Toruń, Poland
Venue: Nicolaus Copernicus University

Conference website: https://polarclimate2026.umk.pl/

Contact: 

Description

The objective of the "4^th International Conference “Polar Climate and Environmental Change in the Last Millennium”, which will be held in Toruń on August 28–30, 2026, is to provide a comprehensive overview of current scientific understanding of climate and environmental changes in the polar regions over the past millennium. We welcome contributions based on instrumental measurements as well as a wide range of proxy data, including historical records, dendrochronological, paleolimnological, glaciological, geophysical, and geomorphological evidence.
The detailed topics of the conference include, among others:

• sources of paleoclimatic information,
• research methods for studying climate change in historical times,
• the climate of polar regions over the last 1000 years and its variability,
• causes and consequences of climate change in both historical and contemporary contexts,
• as well as scenarios of climate change in polar regions in the 21^st century.

Preliminary programme

Day 1 – August 28, 2026

Conference Opening
Opening Keynote Lecture: Prof. Astrid E. J. Ogilvie
Session 1: Modelling of Polar Climate and Marine and Land Ecosystems
Invited Lecture: Prof. Wieslaw Maslowski
Session 2: Polar Climate Changes – Arctic
Invited Lecture: Prof. Edward Hanna
Session 3: Polar Climate Changes – Antarctic
Invited Lecture: Prof. Kamil Láska
Poster Session
Conference Dinner

Day 2 – August 29, 2026

Session 4: Polar Environment Changes – Glaciers and Sea Ice
Invited Lecture: Prof. Jon Ove Hagen
Session 5: Polar Environment Changes – Permafrost
Invited Lecture: Prof. Bernd Etzelmüller
Session 6: Polar Environment Changes – Marine and Land Ecosystems
Invited Lecture: Prof. Witold Szczuciński
Session 7: Polar Environment Changes – Hydrology
Invited Lecture: Prof. Marzena Osuch
Conference Summary
Conference Closing
Barbecue

Day 3 – August 30, 2026

Conference Excursion: “Gothic at Your Fingertips in Toruń”

Keynote speakers

1. Professor Dr. Bernd Etzelmüller, Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
2. Professor Dr. Jon Ove Hagen, Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
3. Professor Dr. Edward Hanna, College of Health and Science, School of Natural Sciences, University of Lincoln, Great Britain
4. Assoc. Professor Kamil Láska, Department of Geography, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
5. Professor Dr. Wieslaw Maslowski, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, USA
6. Professor Dr. Astrid Ogilvie, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA, also in the Stefansson Arctic Institute, Akureyri, Iceland
7. Professor Dr. Marzena Osuch, Department of Hydrology and Hydrodynamics, Institute of Geophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw
8. Professor Dr. Witold Szczuciński, Collegium Geologicum, Faculty of Geographical and Geological Sciences, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland

Important dates

• 5 December 2025 1^st Circular
• 1 February 2026 Registration open
• 15 May 2026 Registration close
• 31 May 2026 Abstract submission deadline
• 15 June 2026 Conference fee deadline
• 15 July 2026 2^nd Circular
• 28-30 August 2026 Welcome to Toruń

Fees

Regular: 1000 PLN (~240 EUR)

ECS*/Student: 700 PLN (~165 EUR)

Conference fee includes: conference materials, coffee breaks, lunches, dinner, barbecue and Toruń sightseeing.
* - ECSs are considered young researchers who have completed their PhD up to 7 years before the year of this conference

Registration

Registration can be done online via the website from February 2026: https://polarclimate2026.umk.pl/?task=account&action=login