A permanent sign of Poland’s scientific presence in both polar areas is the two Polish research stations: Stanisław Siedlecki Polish Polar Station Hornsund (PPSH) on the Hornsund Fjord in Svalbard and the Arctowski Station on King George Island in South Shetlands.
Moreover, Poland is in possession of the OCEANIA research vessel that has been active in Arctic waters for 28 years and the HORIZONT II training and research vessel in operation since 2000. Each year, OCEANIA carries out, during 40 days, research in the Greenland Sea and Spitsbergen coastal waters under the AREX multidisciplinary program. The vessel HORIZONT II combines transporting (transporting people and equipment to the PPSH) and research functions. It should be emphasized that none of these ships fully meets the needs of polar research, as their area of operation is limited to the Arctic, excluding the Antarctic.
An important part of the infrastructure and scientific activity in Svalbard are also the field stations of the University of Wrocław, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin and Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, which are used by both Polish and foreign scientists.
Fig. 2. Centers where polar research is conducted in Poland; the size of the black circles is proportional to the number of institutions involved, without assessing the quality of the substantive contribution to the polar research.
Fig. 2. Centers where polar research is conducted in Poland; the size of the black circles is proportional to the number of institutions involved, without assessing the quality of the substantive contribution to the polar research.
4. OUTLINE OF RESEARCH POTENTIAL
A permanent sign of Poland’s scientific presence in both polar areas is the two Polish re-search stations: Stanisław Siedlecki Polish Polar Station Hornsund (PPSH) on the Hornsund Fjord in Svalbard and the Arctowski Station on King George Island in South Shetlands.
Moreover, Poland is in possession of the OCEANIA research vessel that has been active in Arctic waters for 28 years and the HORIZONT II training and research vessel in opera-tion since 2000. Each year, OCEANIA carries out, during 40 days, research in the Greenland Sea and Spitsbergen coastal waters under the AREX multidisciplinary program. The vessel HORIZONT II combines transporting (transporting people and equipment to the PPSH) and research functions. It should be emphasized that none of these ships fully meets the needs of polar research, as their area of operation is limited to the Arctic, excluding the Antarctic.
An important part of the infrastructure and scientific activity in Svalbard are also the field stations of the University of Wrocław, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Maria Cu-rie-Skłodowska University in Lublin and Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, which are used by both Polish and foreign scientists.
The scientific community dealing with polar research in Poland consists of about 300 peo-ple affiliated to universities and polytechnics (mainly Warsaw and Gdańsk) and institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences and, in a smaller number, research institutes (Fig. 2). Its scien-tific representation is the Polar Research Committee at the Presidium of the Polish Academy of Sciences, established in 1977, supported by the Polish Polar Consortium, established in 2012, which currently comprises 15 scientific institutions. In addition, in 2013 there was es-tablished the Centre for Polar Studies (CPS) convened by the Faculty of Earth Sciences of the University of Silesia (leading entity), the Institute of Geophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, and the Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences; in the years 2014–2018 it had a status of National Scientific Leadership Centre KNOW in Earth Sciences. CPS promotes and carries out interdisciplinary research and teaches the young academic staff.
4.1 Collaboration at national level
Integration of polar research in Poland is an undoubted success of the national polar com-munity. Within the framework of the activity of the Polar Research Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Polish Polar Consortium or Centre for Polar Studies, there are regular consultations and joint actions. These organizations gather information about the infrastruc-ture and access to it, and, more importantly, they execute multidisciplinary research projects, including those which constitute Poland’s participation in international polar projects. Inte-gration on the social level has been supported for over 40 years by the Polar Club at the Polish Geographic Society, which organizes cyclic symposia for scientists, explorers, sportsmen and polar tourists. Implementation of many Polish polar research projects is based on cooperation between national centers, thus leading to comprehensive studies and exchange of experience.
4.2 International collaboration
Poland is an active member of the following polar organizations and international coop-eration structures:
• Arctic Council – a high-level intergovernmental cooperation forum in which Poland has a status of observer;
• The Antarctic Treaty – an intergovernmental cooperation structure in which Poland has a status of consultant member;
• The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR);
• Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR);
• International Arctic Science Committee (IASC);
• European Polar Board (ERA);
• International Permafrost Association (IPA);
• Forum of Arctic Research Operators (FARO);
• The Council of Managers of National Antarctic Program (COMNAP);
• The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS).
The international scientific cooperation in polar areas was initiated in the 1880s, when the First International Polar Year was announced. Today, modern research would not have been possible without international cooperation – mutual support in logistics and infrastructure.
Polish institutions actively cooperate at the level of research teams and institutes with the most important research centers abroad. International cooperation facilitates the promotion of Poland as a dynamic country, with aspirations to play a significant role in polar research, and enables us to participate in large scientific projects.
POTENTIAL OF POLAR
RESEARCH IN POLAND
Fig. 3. Number of scientists involved in polar research in 2007–2017, grouped according to the stages of their professional career. Compilation of data: Piotr Głowacki.