Stanisław Baranowski (25 March 1935 – 27 August 1978) was a Polish

glaciologist Glaciology (; ) is the scientific study of glaciers, or more generally ice and natural phenomena that involve ice. Glaciology is an interdisciplinary Earth science that integrates geophysics, geology, physical geography, geomorphology, climato ...

and leader or member of a number of scientific expeditions to

Spitsbergen Spitsbergen (; formerly known as West Spitsbergen; Norwegian: ''Vest Spitsbergen'' or ''Vestspitsbergen'' , also sometimes spelled Spitzbergen) is the largest and the only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in northern Norw ...

and

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

. He died as a result of an accident near the

Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station (Polish: ''Polska Stacja Antarktyczna im. Henryka Arctowskiego'') is a Polish research station on King George Island, off the coast of Antarctica. History The station is named for Henryk Arctowski (1871 ...

while on expedition. At the time of his death, he was head of the Department of Metereology and Climatology at the

University of Wrocław , ''Schlesische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität zu Breslau'' (before 1945) , free_label = Specialty programs , free = , colors = Blue , website uni.wroc.pl The University of Wrocław ( pl, Uniwersytet Wrocławski, U ...

Stanisław Baranowski Spitsbergen Polar Station Stanisław Baranowski Spitsbergen Polar Station or Stanisław Baranowski Glaciologjcal Station ( pl, Stacja Polarna im. Stanisława Baranowskiego na Spitsbergenie, nicknamed ''Baranówka'' or ''Werenhus'') is a research station near the Werenskiold ...

and Baranowski Glacier are named after him.

Biography

Stanisław Baranowski was born in

Gdynia Gdynia ( ; ; german: Gdingen (currently), (1939–1945); csb, Gdiniô, , , ) is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With a population of 243,918, it is the List of cities in Poland, 12th-largest city in Poland and ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

on 25 March 1935 and graduated from the University of Wrocław in 1955. He carried out studies in

glaciology Glaciology (; ) is the scientific study of glaciers, or more generally ice and natural phenomena that involve ice. Glaciology is an interdisciplinary Earth science that integrates geophysics, geology, physical geography, geomorphology, climato ...

and

climatology Climatology (from Greek , ''klima'', "place, zone"; and , '' -logia'') or climate science is the scientific study of Earth's climate, typically defined as weather conditions averaged over a period of at least 30 years. This modern field of stud ...

and participated in many polar expeditions, beginning with the expedition to

during the

International Geophysical Year The International Geophysical Year (IGY; french: Année géophysique internationale) was an international scientific project that lasted from 1 July 1957 to 31 December 1958. It marked the end of a long period during the Cold War when scientific ...

(1957–1958). Subsequently, he organized and led a number of Polish expeditions to that region, as well as to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

and the Sudety Mountains in Poland. He wrote over fifty scientific articles and papers. In 1971, he became a

docent The title of docent is conferred by some European universities to denote a specific academic appointment within a set structure of academic ranks at or below the full professor rank, similar to a British readership, a French " ''maître de conf ...

and the head of the Department of Metereology and Climatology at the University of Wrocław. He received his

habilitation Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in many European countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellence in research, teaching and further education, usually including a ...

in 1976. In January 1978, while sleeping near the

on King George Island in the

South Shetland Islands The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the nearest point of the South Orkney Islands. By the Antarctic Treaty of 195 ...

, he was poisoned by gas escaping from a leaking cylinder. Despite receiving medical treatment, he never regained consciousness and died in a hospital in

Bytom Bytom (Polish pronunciation: ; Silesian: ''Bytōm, Bytōń'', german: Beuthen O.S.) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. Located in the Silesian Voivodeship of Poland, the city is 7 km northwest of Katowice, the regional capital ...

, Poland on 27 August 1978. His obituary, published in the ''

Journal of Glaciology A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period *Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...

'', stated the following: "Stanisław Baranowski was widely known and universally liked, and it is especially tragic that he died so young and while at the height of his creative powers." The polar station he had founded in Spitsbergen was named the

in his memory. A commemorative plaque has been put up at the Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station where he suffered his accident. The Baranowski Glacier is also named after him.

References

1935 births 1978 deaths People from Gdynia Polish glaciologists Polish climatologists University of Wrocław faculty Deaths by poisoning Poland and the Antarctic {{Glaciologist-stub