Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station
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.
Arctowski Station
Polska Stacja Antarktyczna im. Henryka Arctowskiego | |
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Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station | |
General view of Henryk Arctowski station | |
Arctowski Station Location of Arctowski Station in Antarctica | |
Coordinates: 62°09′37″S 58°28′24″W | |
Country | Poland |
Location in Antarctica | King George Island |
Administered by | Polish Academy of Sciences |
Established | 26 February 1977 |
Elevation | 2 m (7 ft) |
Population | |
• Total |
|
Type | All-year round |
Period | Annual |
Status | Operational |
Website | Arctowski |
Point Thomas Lighthouse | |
Point Thomas Antarctica | |
Location | Point Thomas Arctowski Station King George Island Antarctica |
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Coordinates | 62°09′28″S 58°27′56″W |
Year first constructed | n/a |
Foundation | concrete base |
Construction | concrete tower |
Tower shape | cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern |
Markings / pattern | red (lower) and white (upper) tower |
Tower height | 11 metres (36 ft)[1] |
Focal height | 18 metres (59 ft)[2] |
Light source | solar power |
Range | 8 nautical miles (15 km; 9.2 mi)[2] |
Characteristic | L Fl W 9s.[2] |
Admiralty number | G1387.4[2] |
NGA number | 2728[2] |
ARLHS number | SSI-001[1] |
Managing agent | Polish Academy of Sciences[1] |
History
The station is named for Henryk Arctowski (1871-1959), 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, and the Polish staffers are friendly,[3] 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.[4]
See also
References
- "Antarctica". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
- List of Lights, Pub. 111: The West Coasts of North and South America (Excluding Continental U.S.A. and Hawaii), Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, and the Islands of the North and South Pacific Oceans (PDF). List of Lights. United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2017.
- Society Expeditions, "Expedition Log, EX 1929", Seattle: Society Expeditions, 1990, pp. 26-27
- "List of Historic Sites and Monuments approved by the ATCM (2012)" (PDF). Antarctic Treaty Secretariat. 2012. Retrieved 2014-01-03.
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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