Geodynamics of southern Baltic coast

Introduction

In 2007, Professor Stanisław Rudowski, a renowned and highly regarded marine geologist, celebrated his 70th birthday and 50th anniversary of academic pursuits. Professor Rudowski was born on January 25th, 1937 in Lviv. Between 1954 and 1960, he completed coursework in geology at the Faculty of Geology of the University of Warsaw. His research has always been associated with the sea, and his master’s thesis Geology of the northern section of Kępa Swarzewska - coastal processes was written under the supervision of renowned academics Edward Passendorfer and Zdzisław Pazdro. After graduation in 1960, professor Rudowski received a grant from the Ministry of Higher Education, and began his academic career at the University of Warsaw, where he taught until 1980. In 1967, he defended his doctoral thesis Sedimentation structures of the Baltic Sea littoral zone in Poland, which was completed under the supervision of Dr. Zbigniew Kotański. In 1987, professor Rudowski submitted his postdoctoral thesis Sedimentary environment of the barred coast of a tideless sea; southern Baltic, Poland and received a habilitation degree. Between 1980 and 1999, he worked in the Institute of Geophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, where he was involved in surveying seafloors and coasts of fjords and polar continental shelves. Professor Rudowski not only participated in numerous scientific expeditions to Spitsbergen and Antarctica, but also surveyed the geology of the Baltic Sea. Since 1966, professor Rudowski has been associated with Gdańsk’s academic circles, and was involved in research projects of the Division of Marine Geology of the Institute of Oceanography, University of Gdańsk and the Marine Institute in Gdańsk His scientific activities in the “Gdańsk period” included researching the coast and seafloor of the southern Baltic. Numerous publications that resulted from that period were related to the development of erosional processes, the action of rip currents, and the beach morphodynamics. Professor Stanisław Rudowski has also been an active member of various scientific committees of the Polish Academy of Sciences, including the Committee on Polar Research, the Committee on Marine Research, and the Geophysics Committee and scientific councils of the Institute of Geophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Museum of the Earth, and the Marine Institute in Gdańsk. He also participated in activities of many learned societies, such as the Polish Geographical Society, the Polish Geological Society, The Association of Polish Geomorphologists, and the Scientific Society of Gdańsk. Professor Rudowski authored over 200 scientific publications, of which over half was published in international journals. Among his long-lasting achievements are development of foundations for geomorphological and sedimentological classifications and the proposed classification of a shore zone of a tideless sea, which have been used to this day by researchers studying coastal geology. His achievements also include popularization of non-invasive methods of surveying the seafloor geology of shallow-water sea basins and inland waters in Polish oceanography and limnology. Professor Rudowski has a passion for academic teaching, and taught geology and sedimentology to geography, geology, and archaeology students at the University of Warsaw and oceanography students at the University of Gdańsk. He has also been actively involved in teaching practical skills during student field workshops, and is highly regarded and respected as an academic lecturer by his undergraduate and graduate students. He severed as a thesis adviser for 70 master’s and 8 doctoral students. To celebrate professor’s accomplishments, on September 20th, 2007, the Institute of Oceanography, University of Gdańsk organized a nation-wide scientific conference Geodynamics of southern Baltic coast. During the conference, his colleagues, friends, and students gave 14 talks on coastal evolution and sedimentation processes – the very issues to which professor Rudowski devoted his 50-year long career. In recognition of his achievements in developing the field of marine geology, the organizers of anniversary celebrations dedicate the present, special issue of Oceanological and Hydrobiological Studies to professor Rudowski.