Polish Polar Station in Hornsund, Spitsbergen

Abstract

The Polish Polar Station on the northern coast of the Hornsund fiord on the Spitsbergen island, Norwegian archipelago Svalbard, was established in the framework of the International Geophysical Year 1957-1958, to carry out research in a variety of fields. In 1978/79 the station was thoroughly rebuilt and adapted for year-round work. Continuous operation of the Hornsund Seismological Station HSP, located therein, also started at that time. The research projects carried out at the station were based on standard recordings of tectonic earthquakes and monitoring of seismic activity of the Hans Glacier (located few kilometers away of the seismometer array) based on recording of icevibrations. The HSP station is a member of the world network of seismological stations. In this chapter we outline a brief history of the Polish Polar Station, with special emphasis on the Hornsund Seismological Station. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014.