The research interests of the laboratory are: 1) investigations of the Quaternary paleoenvironmental changes and their determining factors, 2) investigations of the geological development of the south-eastern part of the Baltic Sea, and 3) geoarchaeological research.
The first scientific area includes studies on palaeoclimate, evolution of palaeoflora and palaeo-fauna, sedimentary conditions, the chronology of strata, and the peculiarities of the formation of glacigenic landforms. Quantitative statistical models are used to develop scenarios of palaeoclimate and palaeoecosystem evolution and to determine correlation of observed changes with those in adjacent areas and the North Atlantic region.
The second research area deals with analyses of geological data from the south-eastern Baltic Sea coast and shoreline, reconstructions of the past water level changes of the basin, reconstructions of palaeogeographical situation during different Baltic Sea stages, and analysis of the links between geological processes and palaeoclimatic changes.
The third research area is related to the study of anthropogenic (cultural) layers for the determination of the nature of productive economy and agriculture and for the assessment of anthropogenic impact on the environment.
Depending on the tasks to be solved, a complex of methods is used: palaeobotanical (pollen, plant macro-remains, diatoms), Chironomidae, sedimentological-lithological and geochemical investigations, absolute age determination of sediments (isotopic, IR-OSL), palaeomagnetic and geophysical (georadar, magnetometry) studies, and GIS technologies.
