Wszechnica FWW - Nauka

830. Rok w Arktyce - 100 pytań do kierownika wyprawy do Polskiej Stacji Polarnej - dr Daniel Kępski

·45 min·4 clips
Dr. Daniel Kępski reveals what it takes to lead a year-long expedition to Poland's remote polar station in the Norwegian Arctic.
This episode features Dr. Daniel Kępski from the Polar and Maritime Research Institute, who is the future director of an expedition to the Polish Hornsund Polar Station. He begins by explaining the station's location on the Svalbard archipelago in the Norwegian Arctic. Dr. Kępski outlines the history of Polish polar research, noting the station was established in 1957 and has had continuous annual expeditions since 1978. He describes logistics, including travel via the ship Horizon 2 and current job openings for eight winter positions like geophysicist and meteorologist. The presentation details the station's research programs, focusing on monitoring activities such as glacier movement tracking, magnetic field measurements, and meteorological observations. Dr. Kępski discusses the local climate, highlighting a warming trend of 1 degree per decade and extreme wind conditions. He covers natural phenomena like polar day and night, aurora visibility, and vegetation including dwarf trees. Wildlife is a major focus, with insights on polar bears whose population equals humans on Svalbard, reindeer, arctic foxes, and various bird species. Practical aspects of station life are explained, such as water sourcing from lakes and snow, food transport twice a year, and electricity from diesel units. Safety protocols include carrying weapons for polar bear protection and using scooters for winter transport. The episode ends with Dr. Kępski encouraging questions and noting the station's historical trapper huts.
Listen to the show on