Assistant Professor

Obserwatorium Geofizyczne im. Stanisława Kalinowskiego w Świdrze

Department of Atmospheric Physics
Instytut Geofizyki Polskiej Akademii Nauk
ul. Księcia Janusza 64, 01-452 Warszawa
tel. +48 22 7793639
e-mail: d.kepski@igf.edu.pl

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Education:

Main research interests:

  • Climate of the Polar Regions
  • Atmospheric Electricity
  • Atmospheric Aerosol Studies
  • Metamorphism and Spatial Variability of Snow Cover
  • Remote sensing of the atmosphere and Earth’s surface

Related work experience:

  • from 2020 – Institute of Geophysics PAS,  Assistant Professor
  • 2023-2024 – Institute of Geophysics PAS, Specialist / Leader of 46. Polar Expedition PAS – Meteorologist In Polish Polar Station Hornsund  
  • 2018-2019 – Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics PAS, Leader (since 02.2019)/ Hydrological observer of 43rd Polish Antarctic Expedition to Arctowski Station (King George Island, Antarctica)
  • 2016-2017 – Forest Research Institute, Sękocin Stary, Poland, Interpretation of potential archaeological objects on the base of Digital Elevation Model within the IT system of the Country’s Protection
  • 2013-2014 – Institute of Geophysics PAS, Specialist / Participator of XXXVI Polar Expedition PAS – Meteorologist In Polish Polar Station Hornsund

Awards:

Projects:

  • 10. 2025 Participation in LiquidIce project European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme (grant number: 101184962)
  • 01.2022-12.2025 Investigator in NCN OPUS 21 no. 2021/41/B/ST10/03660: “Spatial representativeness of aerosol profiles, holistic multi-instrument approach”
  • 01.2022-07.2025 Investigator in NCN OPUS 21 no. 2021/41/B/ST10/04448: “Local and global signals of the Earth’s atmospheric electrical circuit in the atmospheric electricity data of the Świder Observatory”
  • 2024 Participation in Har-Sval project, RiS-ID:12399
  • 12.2020-12.2021 MINIATURA-4 enabling award, funding the “Recognition of the aerosols vertical structure and its influence on the Earth electric field intensity – pilot studies” proposal
  • 2021-2022 Teaching activities & preparation of educational tool-kits in Edu-Arctic 2 & Digi-Science projects
  • 03.2016-03.2016 Project manager in Research Council of Norway SSF Arctic Field Grant no. 257119/E10: “Evolution of spatial variability and physico-chemical properties of snow on coastal tundra of the Hornsund fjord during the spring season”, RIS-ID 10450
  • 02.2016-09.2018 Investigator in Research Council of Norway SSF Svalbard Strategic Grant: “Community Coordinated Snow Study In Svalbard (C2S3)” RIS-ID 10472

Selected publications:

  • Pawlak, I., Odzimek, A., Kȩpski, D., & Tacza, J.. (2025). Diurnal, seasonal, and annual variations of the fair-weather atmospheric potential gradient and effects of reduced number concentration of condensation nuclei on potential gradient and air conductivity from long-term atmospheric electricity measurements at Świder, Poland, Ann. Geophys., 43, 391–416, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-43-391-2025
  • Köhler, L., Windmiller, J., Baranowski, D., Brennek, M., Ciuryło, M., Hayo, L., Kȩpski, D., Kinne, S., Latos, B., Lobo, B., Marke, T., Nischik, T., Paul, D., Stammes, P., Szkop, A., & Tuinder, O. (2025). Calm ocean, stormy sea: atmospheric and oceanographic observations of the Atlantic during the Atlantic References and Convection (ARC) ship campaign, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 633–659, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-633-2025
  • Ignatiuk, D., Dunse, T., Gallet, J.-C., Girod, L., Grabiec, M., Kępski, D., Kohler, J., Laska, M., Luks, B., van Pelt, W., Petterson, R., Pohjola, V., & Schuler Thomas V. (2023). Ground penetrating radar measurement of snow in Svalbard – past, present, future (SnowGPR). State of Environmental Science in Svalbard (SESS) report (s. 116–141). Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7371725
  • Koziol, K., Kallenborn, R., Xie, Z., Larose, C., Spolaor, A., Barbaro, E., Kavan, J., Kępski, D., Nikulina, A., Zawierucha, K., Pearce, D., Cockerton, L., Nawrot, A., Pawlak, F., Pakszys, P., & Cappelletti, D. (2023). Harmonising Environmental Research and Monitoring of Priority Pollutants and Impurities in the Svalbard Atmosphere (HERMOSA). State of Environmental Science in Svalbard (SESS) report (s. 78–115). Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7406842
  • Kępski D., Kubicki M. (2022). Thunderstorm activity at high latitudes observed at manned WMO weather stations. International Journal of Climatology, 42(15) https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.7678
  • Laska, M., Luks, B., Kępski, D., Gądek B., Głowacki P., Puczko D., Migała K., Nawrot A., & Pętlicki M. (2022). Hansbreen Snowpit Dataset – over 30-year of detailed snow research on an Arctic glacier. Sci Data 9, 656. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01767-8
  • Sanchez-Cid C., Keuschnig C., Torzewski K., Stachnik Ł., Kępski D., Luks B., Nawrot A., Niedzielski P., Vogel T.M. and Larose C. (2022). Environmental and Anthropogenic Factors Shape the Snow Microbiome and Antibiotic Resistome. Front. Microbiol. 13:918622. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.918622
  • Barbaro, E., Kozioł K., Björkman M. P., Vega C. P., Zdanowicz C., Martma T., Gallet J.-C., Kępski D., Larose C., Luks B., Tolle F., Schuler T. V., Uszczyk A., & Spolaor A. (2021). Measurement report: Spatial variations in ionic chemistry and water-stable isotopes in the snowpack on glaciers across Svalbard during the 2015–2016 snow accumulation season, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 3163–3180, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-3163-2021
  • Salzano R., Aalstad K., Boldrini E., Gallet J. C., Kępski D., Luks B., Nilsen L., Salvatori R. & Westermann S. (2020). Terrestrial photography applications on snow cover in Svalbard (PASSES). State of Environmental Science in Svalbard (SESS) report (s. 236–251). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4294084
  • Opała-Owczarek M., Pirożnikow E., Owczarek P., Szymański W., Luks B., Kępski D., Szymanowski M., Wojtuń B., & Migała, K. (2018). The influence of abiotic factors on the growth of two vascular plant species (Saxifraga oppositifolia and Salix polaris) in the High Arctic. CATENA, 163, 219-232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2017.12.018
  • Kępski D., Luks B., Migała K., Wawrzyniak T., Westermann S., & Wojtuń B. (2017). Terrestrial Remote Sensing of Snowmelt in a Diverse High-Arctic Tundra Environment Using Time-Lapse Imagery. Remote Sensing, 9(7), 733. doi:10.3390/rs9070733
  • Kępski D., Błaś M., Sobik M., Polkowska Ż., & Grudzińska K. (2016). Progressing Pollutant Elution from Snowpack and Evolution of its Physicochemical Properties During Melting Period—a Case Study From the Sudetes, Poland. Water, air, and soil pollution, 227. doi:10.1007/s11270-016-2797-z