Polish Polar Research: Green-and-White Paper under the aegis of the Polish Polar Consortium (PPC)

Abstract

Polar research is a colloquial term for cross-area, cross-domain and interdisciplinary research in the Arctic and Antarctic. Polar research is mainly the domain of natural sciences, but technical sciences and humanities also grow in importance. Being vulnerable to climate change, polar regions are commonly considered as a kind of litmus paper of changes in geosystems, hence the importance of research done there. It aims at a better understanding of the processes taking place in the polar environment and the search for links between the bio-, litho-, atmo- and hydrosphere on the one hand, and the anthroposphere on the other, which would provide a better knowledge on the genesis of the present glaciation and then a reliable forecast of future global changes. The document is composed of three main parts. The “Introduction” and presentation of the legal and organizational framework is followed by Part I, describing the potential of the polar scientific community in Poland along with the infrastructure and logistical means (on land and sea). Part II presents the research topics implemented in Polish scientific entities. In Part III we outline the future of polar research in Poland, trying to specify the most important directions, feasible with a view to the existing research potential. At the end of the document, the achievements of polar community are displayed collectively in the form of a bibliography of over 800 scientific publications through the years 2007–2018, covered by the Journal Citation Reports. Keeping in mind that it is an output of about 300 scientists and technicians managing just two active polar stations (in the Arctic and Antarctic) and operating two small (though brave) research vessels, this is a respectable achievement. Worth emphasizing is also an additional yet not minor aspect of our polar activities, namely, the daily effort put into organization, logistics and maintenance of the material research base in the extreme natural environment. To sum up, the general message of this document is a strong argument for promoting polar research in Poland, because the ratio of expenditures to cognitive and social effects seems to be very attractive from the point of view of the Polish Polar Policy and general scientific policy of the country.