On 23 January, the BERA logistics and science centre was launched on Spitsbergen. It was established through the cooperation of the Centre for Polar Studies with the University of Silesia in Katowice, the Institute of Geophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, the University of Maria Curie-Sklodowska in Lublin, the University of Wrocław and the Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan.
BERA (from Old Norse - bear) is the effect of long-term efforts of the Polish polar community, which has called for the normalisation of logistical and scientific research activities in the capital of the Svalbard archipelago. The city of Longyearbyen is the sea and airport used by all Polish scientists working on Svalbard. Until now, any institution or scientific group organising scientific field expeditions to Svalbard has had to cope on its own with transport and storage of expedition cargo, equipment repairs or managing a field laboratory, educational and scientific workshops, and even the organisation of spaces and professional meeting places in Longyearbyen. Now, thanks to the BERA Centre, it will become much more manageable.
Logistical and organisational support will be provided to, among others, the AMU Polar Station "Petuniabukta". In addition, a follow-up of the BioGeoEko workshop conducted in the Arctic by AMU is scheduled.
The above activities result from the three main tasks of the BERA Centre: to support environmental monitoring and research activities, to provide logistical and fieldwork assistance, and to promote education and networking by offering space for the organisation of scientific workshops and professional meetings.
The Centre's partners are handling the Polish Polar Station Hornsund, the university stations and the research vessel Oceania. The infrastructure contributes to the government's strategy (Polish Polar Policy) and the research priorities of the European Union. The Centre consists of a main building whose functionality allows for equipment storage, service and maintenance of research equipment, laboratory work, workshops and training meetings. The infrastructure is enriched by additional storage, containers and equipment to facilitate research in the Arctic.
Photo: BERA Centre archive
