POLISH POLAR PAGES IN THE INTERNET

Ireneusz SOBOTA Department of Hydrology and Water Economy Institute of Geography Mikołaj Kopernik University Fredry 6/8 87-100 Toruń, POLAND Wyprawy Geograficzne na Spitsbergen IV Zjazd Geomorfologów Polskich UMCS, Lublin 3-6 czerwca 1998 POLISH POLAR PAGES IN THE INTERNET POLSKIE STRONY POLARNE W INTERNECIE Poland is one of the few countries which carry out investigations in the polar zones. The fact that the Polish work on both Poles gives evidence for Polish scientific progress. The results of polar investigations are the subjects of many scientific papers. Many papers, textbooks and even adventure books were published due to the fact that the Polish have travelled to distant, cold regions of the Earth. Polish polar explorers are known at home and abroad. The question is whether they are known to many people or only a small group of other polar explorers and enthusiasts of the cold regions. Are books a sufficient source of information about Polish polar investigations? Can scanty information in mass media be their supplement? The answer is "yes". The great Polish polar explorer professor Alfred Jahn writes:" Let us satisfy the desires of our great Polish polar explorers: Dybowski, Czerski, Czekanowski, Arctowski, Dobrowolski, let us make known the name of Poland in the polar countries". The way to show the achievements of Polish scientists, polar explorers, discoverers to the world can be the Internet. This complicated system is both a perfect and simple source of information for the common user. But for the ordinary user, the structure of the system is not important. Most essential for him is what he can find "rummaging" about the Internet pages. Internet is a set of elements which is used to obtain suitable information. The WWW (World Wide Web) pages are the most important source of information. Internet pages can include information of different kinds in different forms from popularizing to the data base. This is a perfect way to promote Polish polar achievements. Network pages enable the description of polar regions, Polish polar stations, the presentation of research subjects, publications in the field of glaciology, as well as of reports about meetings, lectures, sessions and symposia. Access to the Internet means not only a computer plugged into the network but also a presence on the WWW pages. There are many pages with polar subjects in the Internet. They concern both 271

world polar stations, scientific institutes dealing with polar problems and reports from great expeditions, thousands of photos and maps. Hundreds of addresses to such pages can be found. As an example there can be mentioned the page of Norwegian Polar Institute (http://www.npolar.no/) including many interesting materials concerning Spitsbergen. Another interesting pages is are: "National Snow and Ice Data Center" (http://www.nsidc.colorado.edu.index.html) and a page of the University of Wales: "Centre of Glaciology (http://www.aber.ac.uk/~glawww/chome.htmi), including many publications. The page: "Weather at Svalbard" (http://www.unis.no/vaerdata) gives the current weather forecasts from Longyearbyen and Adventdalen on Spitsbergen updated every five minutes. It is impossible to mention a great number of world pages devoted to investigations and polar regions included in the Internet. There are many places where one can find links to the pages with polar subjects. One such page is: (http//www.grida.no/prog /polar/add/add-data # canada). The number of Polish pages in the Internet devoted to a polar subject is scarce. There are only a few windows and most of them are very scanty and include little information. There is a lack of both popularizing materials and a presentation of Polish polar investigations. Taking the achievements of Polish science into account, this is only a small part the required needs. A short characteristic of Polish pages in the Internet is given below. The Toruń Polar Station on Spitsbergen should here be given a mention (Fig. 1). The page includes rich material: information about Spitsbergen, history of the Toruń Polar Station, history of the Toruń Expeditions to Spitsbergen, research subjects of Toruń glaciologists. There are reports illustrated with photos from the last three expeditions. The presentation of research results and of some selected publications is worth noting. One canfind a list of papers on the studies in the Kaffiöyra region (NW Spitsbergen). Moreover, there is the "Polar Calendar" including information about topical meetings, exhibitions, lectures dealing with polar subjects. The page also includes vast information about the Lower Vistula glaciation. At present, this is the richest page about Polish polar investigations. The I Internet Photograph Exhibition on Polar Subjects "Polar Views": (Fig. 2) is an interesting window. It includes about 100 photos from the polar regions sent by polar explorers from all over Poland. There are photos from Antarctica, Spitsbergen, the Kola Peninsula and Siberia. The page "The Henryk Arctowski Polish Station" (Fig. 3) describing the Polish Polar Station on King George Island includes much information. The history and localization of the station are given. The sketch of Henryk Arctowski's personality is given. The page includes reference to the base of meteorological data of weather conditions at the station. The page is ornamented with photos presenting the region of studies and of its fauna. It should be 272

emphasized that it is one of the most comprehensive Polish polar pages in the Internet. Another page of polar subjects is that of the Geophysics Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw: (http://www.igf.edu.pl/igf/poiar.htm). It includes some information about the Polish Polar Station in Hornsund. A page of the Polar Club of the Polish Geographical Society (Fig. 4) prepared by the Department of Geomorphology of the Institute of Earth Sciences, of the Maria Curie-Sklodowska University is of significant importance. It presents the main trends of the Club activity, organizational structure, forms of activity, publications and current problems. The existence of this page is very important because it supplies knowledge of the regulations of functioning of such an important organisation as the Polar Club of the Polish Geographical Society. Another page of the Department of Geomorphology is a list of publications about the expeditions to Spitsbergen: "Bibliography of Geographical Expeditions to Spitsbergen" (http://biotop.umcs.lublin.pl/users/geomorf/b_ wypr.htm). Other interesting pages are those devoted to great polar achievements of Marek Kamiński. They are of a different character from those described above. They serve as a perfect example of the pages of such subjects. The page "Solo in Antarctica' 95" and "Solo in Trans-Antarctica '96/97" describes the expeditions of Marek Kamiński to the North and South Poles. The page "Solo in Antarctica" (http://hum.amu.edu.pl/~grzera/mk/mksolo.htm) includes a report from the expedition of Marek Kamiński to the South Pole, photos as well as interesting links to the places in Internet describing expeditions of other polar explorers, who made their way to the southern confines at the same time. An extended description of expeditions of Marek Kamiński is presented in Internet on the page "Solo Trans Antarctica" (http://www.kaminski.onet.pl/) It includes topical accounts of the great explorer's expeditions. One can find information about the preperation, course and finish of the expeditions. The character of Marek Kamiński, his diary and photos are presented there. One can a see series of photos and even a short film. A characteristic of Antarctica, life on the continent and the history of polar expeditions are given and illustrated with photos. Thanks to the detailed presentation of Marek Kamiński's expeditions, his countrymen and people in other countries are able to become familiar with his achievements. This is an example of how the Internet can serve us an important means of information transfer. The page prepared by Zbigniew Zwoliński "Polish Christmas Eve at the Poles" (http://hum.amu.edu.pl/~zbzw/ph/xmas/pcpr.htm) describes customs and celebrations of Christmas at two Polish polar stations: in Hornsund on Spitsbergen and at the Antarctic Station, Henryk Arctowski on King George Island. It describes the feelings of happiness and homesickness experienced by polar explorers on Christmas Eve. This is description of a small part of polar explorer's life away from their families. 273

Finally, there should be mentioned a private page of Krzysztof Różański "Svalbard - Spitsbergen" (http://free.poibox.pl/rn/mnacgyver/svaibard.htm) describing the situation and natural habitat of the archipelago. The pages presented above make it possible for the Internet users to become familiar with polar subjects. However, it is still too little. The Polish polar pages are a source of knowledge about Polish polar stations and Polish investigations in the polar regions. Despite this fact, there are too few pages devoted to Polish polar investigations and their results. There is too little space devoted to Polish polar explorers. There are many Polish Stations on Spitsbergen but they do not exist in the Internet. There are two few windows with lists of publications on Polish polar investigations. Even summaries of papers would solve the problem to some extent. Let us hope that the amount of information will increase in time. For research workers, the Internet can be a good way of exchanging information,views and data base. At present this is the quickest and most efficient way of information transfer. An interesting solution would be one, common page on a polar subject edited by a team of research workers from many institutions in Poland. A page presenting a list of all publications on Polish polar investigations would make matters much easier. There is no page with information about meetings, papers, lectures and symposia. That would make mutual contacts easier. Internet develops dynamically. This source of information is more and more available. So it should be properly exploited. Among thousands of pages there should be also those devoted to Polish polar investigations, Polish polar explorers and Polish places at the Poles. The great Polish polar explorer professor Alfred Jahn wrote:" I divide the Spitsbergen regions, glaciers and tundra among all Polish universities in an honest and generous way. I can see hundreds of young people there who acquire knowledge and improve their characters". It would be a good thing if all these tough people were placed on the pages of the great encyclopaedia which is Internet. The Polish polar achievements should be spread throughout the world in Internet and through Internet. REFERENCES JAHN A., 1991: Z Kleparowa w świat szeroki. Ossolineum, Wrocław. SOBOTA I., 1997: Polskie strony w Internecie. Materiały Sesji Polarnej Rzeźba, współczesne procesy morfogenetyczne i problemy zmian środowiska obszarów polarnych", UMCS Lublin, 75-77. 274

Witamy na polarnej stronie Toruńskiej Stacji Polarnej na Spitsbergenie Jesteś J^i^j^osi-Ibn na naszej Stronie - dzięki Fig. 1. Polar Station of Mikołaj Kopernik University on Spitsbergen http://www.cc.uni.torun.pl/~geopolar stacja/stacja.html 9 Witam wszystkich na I Internetowej Wystawie Fotograficznej o Tematyce Polarnej "Polarne Widoki". W Wystawie udział w ń ^ o 17 osób z całej Polski. Salto polarnicy, którzy swoje fotografie mieli okazje wykonać w różnydi miejscach za Kołem Polarnym. Dzięki temu na Wystawie znalazły się polarne widoki z Antarktydy, Arktyki, Spitsbergenu, Islandii, Półwyspu Kolskiego, Północnej Szwecji, Północnej Norwegii i Syberii. Chciałbym podziękować wszystkim uczestnikom za udział w Wystawie. Zapraszam Wszystkich do przepięknych miejsc z Polarnymi Widokami. ZAPRASZAM!!! Irek Sobota Fig. 2. Internet Photographic Exhibition on the Polar Subject "Polar Views" http://www. geo. uni.torun.pl/wystawa.htm 275

The Polish Antarctic Station, Henryk Arctowski Fig. 3. Polish Station, Henryk Arctowski http://sunsite.icm.edu.pl/dab/ POLSKIE TOWARZYSTWO GEOGRAFICZNE KLUB POLARNY ul Akademicka 19.20-033 Lublin td. (81) 537 59 15 fax (81) 537 51 02 E-mail: Geomorfigjbiotop.umcs.hiblinpl IN ENGLISH Klub Polarny powstał w 1974 r. jako stowarzyszenie skupiające uczestników ekspedycji polarnych arktycznych i antarktycznych. Klub Polarny należy od początku swego istnienia do struktur Polskiego Towarzystwa Geograficznego, mając status odrębnego oddziału. Pozwala to na korzystanie z przywilejów, jakie posiadają stowarzyszenia naukowe. Klub powstał z inicjatywy Profesora Alfreda Jahna, światowej sławy uczonego, wytrawnego znawcy i badacza Arktyki, który tak ujął zadania Klubu. "Klub Polarny skupił badaczy, uczestników wypraw i łudzi związanych róinąformą współpracy w poznaniu świata polarnego, (...) dał im pełne poczucie społeczne i moralne, dał im możliwość prezentowania wyników badań w słowie mówionym i drukowanym, dał im przecie wszystkim możliwość Fig. 4. Polar Club of Polish Geographical Society http://biotop.umcs.lublin.pl/users/geomorf/klubpol.htm 276