A. B. Dobrowolski Polar Station

Dobrowolski Station
Antarctic base
A. B. Dobrowolski
Buildings of the Dobrowolski Station (Bunger Hills, Antarctica) in 1979 (Photo: Zbigniew Battke).
Buildings of the Dobrowolski Station (Bunger Hills, Antarctica) in 1979 (Photo: Zbigniew Battke).
Location of Dobrowolski Station in Antarctica
Location of Dobrowolski Station in Antarctica
Dobrowolski Station
Location of Dobrowolski Station in Antarctica
Coordinates: 66°16′28″S 100°45′00″E / 66.274514°S 100.749889°E / -66.274514; 100.749889
Country Poland
Location in AntarcticaAlgae Lake
Bunger Hills
Wilkes Land
Administered byInstitute of Geophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences
Established1959 (1959)
ActiveYes
Named forAntoni Bolesław Dobrowolski
Elevation
[1]
29 m (95 ft)
Population
 (2017)[1]
 • Summer
10
 • Winter
0
Station location on a map

A.B. Dobrowolski Polar Station (Polish: Stacja im. A.B. Dobrowolskiego) is an occasionally active Polish polar research station in Antarctica. It is located at the edge of the Algae Lake, Bunger Hills region in the Wilkes Land and was originally constructed by the Soviet Union. It is one of the two Polish stations in Antarctica, the other being the Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station.

The station is named after Polish geophysicist, meteorologist and explorer Antoni Bolesław Dobrowolski.[2]

In January 2022, it was reported that Polish scientists have arrived to staff the station for the first time since 43 years.[3]

Oasis Station

The research station was built by the Soviet Antarctic Expedition in 1956 and named Oazis (Оазис, English: Oasis). The station was handed over by the Soviet Academy of Sciences to the Polish Academy of Sciences in January 1959[2] and given its current name. It was manned briefly by the Polish expedition, which carried out a number of studies, primarily in the fields of gravimetry and geomorphology.[4] The station has not been used regularly since, due to the lack of funds and the high costs of air transport,[4] and there are no plans to reopen the station as a permanent institution.[5] The station has been visited periodically by Polish and other research teams.[6][7] The last regular Polish team was reported to have visited the station in 1979.[8][9][10] A 1998 Polish statistical yearbook described the base as "periodically active".[11] Thereafter, the station was officially described as "inactive and conserved, but not abandoned", and was only occasionally visited by tourists, such as those who documented their visit in 2010, until its official reactivation in 2022.[7] The 2022 expedition is tasked with preparing a detailed inventory of the station and installing some new research equipment, both necessary in order to return the station to regular seasonal activity.

Historic monuments

The magnetic observatory building, along with a plaque commemorating the establishment of Oasis Station in 1956, has been designated a Historic Site or Monument (HSM 10) following a proposal by Russia to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM). The concrete pillar erected by the Polish expedition to measure acceleration due to gravity has similarly been designated a Historic Site or Monument (HSM 49) following a proposal by Poland to the ATCM.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Antarctic Station Catalogue (PDF) (catalogue). Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs. August 2017. p. 119. ISBN 978-0-473-40409-3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Dobrowolski Station (A.B.)". Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. SCAR Gazetteer Ref. No 3714. Archived from the original on 2014-04-07 – via the Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica.
  3. ^ "Polish Antarctic station comes out of hibernation after 43 years". January 8, 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-01-08.
  4. ^ a b Geographical journal. 1973. p. 204. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  5. ^ Geographical journal. 1973. p. 206. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  6. ^ "Waly lodowo-morenowe Antarktydy". Polish Geographical Review. 56. Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization PAS: 101. 1984. ISSN 0033-2143.
  7. ^ a b Chandler, Jo (2010-01-06). "Cold War relics frozen in Antarctic". The Age. Archived from the original on 2018-03-08. Retrieved 2013-09-03.
  8. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-09-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ^ "Polacy w Antarktyce « Młody Technik". Mt.com.pl. 2013-01-24. Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-09-03.
  10. ^ "Z wyprawami radzieckimi". Arctowski.pl. Retrieved 2013-09-03.
  11. ^ Mały rocznik Statystyczny. Nakładem Głównego Urzędu Statystycznego. 1998. p. 28. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  12. ^ "List of Historic Sites and Monuments approved by the ATCM (2012)" (PDF). Antarctic Treaty Secretariat. 2012. Retrieved 2013-10-26.