Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station

Arctowski Station Polska Stacja Antarktyczna im. Henryka Arctowskiego
Antarctic base
Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station
General view of Henryk Arctowski station
62°09′37″S 58°28′24″W / 62.160140°S 58.473247°W / -62.160140; -58.473247
Country	Poland
Location in Antarctica	King George Island
Administered by	Polish Academy of Sciences
Established	26 February 1977 (1977-02-26)
Elevation [1]	2 m (7 ft)
Population  (2017)[1]
• Summer	40
• Winter	16
UN/LOCODE	AQ ARC
Type	All-year round
Period	Annual
Status	Operational
Activities	List Biology Oceanography Geomorphology Glaciology Magnetism
Website	Arctowski
Arctowski Lighthouse
Constructed	1978
Foundation	concrete base
Construction	concrete tower
Height	11 metres (36 ft)[2]
Shape	cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markings	red (lower) and white (upper) tower
Power source	solar power
Operator	Polish Academy of Sciences[2]
Focal height	18 metres (59 ft)[3]
Range	8 nautical miles (15 km; 9.2 mi)[3]
Characteristic	L Fl W 9s.[3]

Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station (Polish: Polska Stacja Antarktyczna im. Henryka Arctowskiego) is a Polish research station on King George Island, off the coast of Antarctica.

History

The station is named for Henryk Arctowski (1871–1958), who as meteorologist had accompanied the Belgian explorer Baron Adrien de Gerlache on the Belgian Antarctic Expedition "Belgica", 1897–1899. This was the first expedition to overwinter in Antarctica. He proposed the original notion of a wind chill factor, arguing that wind could be as damaging to human flesh as cold in harsh climates.

Established on 26 February 1977, the station is managed by the Polish Academy of Sciences; its main research areas include marine biology, oceanography, geology, geomorphology, glaciology, meteorology, climatology, seismology, magnetism and ecology.

Because it is readily accessible, ^[4] it is one of the most-visited scientific stations in Antarctica. The beaches near the station have numerous whale bones, relics of the time when the site was used to process whales killed nearby.

The station is near colonies of three different types of Pygoscelis penguins (Adelies, chinstraps, and gentoos), and has been designated a site of Special Scientific Interest (SSI) as provided by the Antarctic Treaty.

Historic site

The grave of Polish wildlife photographer Włodzimierz Puchalski, surmounted by an iron cross, stands on a hill to the south of the station. Puchalski died on 19 January 1979 in the course of filming a nature documentary in the vicinity of the station. The location of the grave and cross has been designated a Historic Site or Monument (HSM 51), following a proposal by Poland to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting.^[5]

See also

• List of Antarctic research stations
• List of Antarctic field camps
• A.B. Dobrowolski Polar Station

References

Further reading

• Antarctica. Sydney: Reader's Digest, 1985, pp. 130–133, 300.
• Child, Jack. Antarctica and South American Geopolitics: Frozen Lebensraum. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1988, p. 12.
• Lonely Planet, Antarctica: a Lonely Planet Travel Survival Kit, Oakland, CA: Lonely Planet Publications, 1996, p. 273.
• Stewart, Andrew, Antarctica: An Encyclopedia. London: McFarland & Company, 1990 (2 volumes, p. 37.
• U.S. National Science Foundation, Geographic Names of the Antarctic, Fred G. Alberts, ed. Washington: NSF, 1980.

External links

• Official website
• COMNAP Antarctic Facilities
• COMNAP Antarctic Facilities Map
• COMNAP Antarctic Facilities

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