Hornsund
- The Polish Polar Station Hornsund, Isbjørnhamna

The station was established in connection with the International Geophysical Year 1957-1959. Until the mid 1970s, it was used as a summer station only. During the summer 1978, the station was expanded into a permanent geophysical observatory. In recent years, the station has been modernized and expanded further. Now 40 people can work here at the same time in comfortable conditions.

The station consists of a main building, a power station, three separate scientific cabins and a boathouse with equipment for local transport. The station is provided with 230/400 V electricity, three satellite communication systems and a wastewater cleaning system.

Many of the research projects at the station are carried out with international cooperation.

How to get there

The Polish Polar Station Hornsund is situated about 150 km from the nearest settlement. It can be reached by helicopter throughout the year. During winter, snowmobiles are useful, while in summer the station could be reached by sea.

The Polish Polar Station carries out research in:

Since 2002 the station is one of six flagship sites for biodiversity in Europe.

• Geomagnetism
  - Study of magnetic field changes at geomagnetic latitudes
  
  
• Seismology
  - Seismology of the Arctic Sea Basin
  - Glacier seismic events
  
  
• Electricity and optics of the atmosphere
  - Determination of electric field changes in the “Polar cusp”
  - Separation of global effect and determination of factors affecting the UV radiation influx to the Earth’s surface
  
  
• Space physics
  - Study of the transfer of energy, mass and momentum from the solar wind
  
  
• Glaciology
  - Dynamics and mass balance of glaciers in the region of Hornsund Station as an indicator of global climate change
  
  
• Meteorology
  - Meteorological observations and transmission of meteorological data to the Word Meteorological Organization via the meteorological network on Bjørnøya.
  
  
• Biology
  - Biodiversity of Arctic ecosystems
  
  
• Natural environment
  - Long range transportation of air pollutants
  - Evolution of the polar environment as a result of climate changes and anthropogenic impact
  - Water circulation in the polar environment during climate warming
  
  
• Geology
  - Research into the origin of Spitsbergen fjords based on investigations of tectonic structures
  - Study of Quaternary sedimentary basins of Spitsbergen
  
  

The station is open to students from several universities, collecting data for Masters and PhD theses and getting professional training. Scientific work and courses in connection with the EUROPOLAR ERA-NET project and field workshops for glaciology, geomorphology, geology and biology are also planned.

All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI)
Hornsund has been selected as site for a 'All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI)' within the framework of two EU programmes BIOMARE and MARBENA. The EU 5th Framework Concerted Action BIOMARE (2000- 2002) generated the idea of European Marine Biodiversity Sites (EMBS) - a selection of localities where marine biodiversity research will be focused in the coming years. MARBENA, another Shared Cost Activity of the EU, deals with the implementation of the BIOMARE research agenda. Following this, a webpage has been established with information about environmental variables and marine biodiversity in Hornsund.

Web Page for European Marine Biodiversity Research Svalbard Sites - Kongsfjorden & Hornsund: http://www.iopan.gda.pl/projects/biodaff/index.html

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