ARCTIC AUKS

 By Julia and Derek

We just cornered the station leader, Marek Szymocha, for an interview about his job and life so our readers can get to know this man who is so important to the proper functioning of the Polish Polar Station.

When we asked Marek why he was drawn to the Polar Station, his response was simple: “I like extremes.” He had worked at the station in past years as an ionospheric observer, but this year, he has taken on the responsibility of making sure everything at the station runs properly. One of his most important and challenging duties is to watch over the safety of the nearly fifty people who reside at the station. He is from the city of Glivice, in an industrial region in southern Poland. He enjoys coming to the station because it gives him a chance to escape the city life and be in the wilderness.

But there is much more to Marek than “big boss.” He also has a hobby of designing and constructing sun dials. He has designed many unique, ornate sun dials for cities, zoos, schools, and private clients in Poland.

 

 

 

 

 

Sundials Mirek has designed. (Photos from his website at gnomonica.com)

Considering that the sun never sets for many months in the Arctic, it is fitting that it was here where he designed the first sun dial of his prolific career as a sundailist. The debut sun dial sits just outside the station, a monument to the place that inspired his unique hobby.

Marek related a story of a time in late November when some friends from the station called him while he was at home in Poland. His friends complained that his sun dial was no longer working.

“What could be the matter?” he replied. “Perhaps a polar bear damaged it?”

His friend replied, “No, it simply does not work. I just don’t understand it.”

Then Marek realized his gullibility: the station had just entered polar night, the period during which the sun never rises for several consecutive months. As a side effect, his sun dial had become non-functional.

The juxtaposition of polar day against polar night is one of the Arctic extremes that Marek savors. During polar night, expeditions away from the immediate proximity of the station are especially dangerous due to the increased activity and decreased visibility of polar bears. Any meteorologist who goes out to inspect his or her instruments must always bring an assistant who carries a gun and remains constantly vigilant of bears.

Sufferers of seasonal depression need not apply for the position of station leader. While Marek admits that the constant darkness can affect some people, he looks forward to polar night. The northern lights are often visible, and a photo that Marek took of the phenomenon is on display at the station.

 

Marek explains that everyone sleeps more in the winter due to an increase in melatonin production, the body’s response to darkness. During the polar day, Marek and others take melatonin supplements to compensate for the deficit that would otherwise cause insomnia.

While Marek finds the chilled extremes of the Arctic fascinating, he also is drawn to tropical destinations. He has traveled widely to countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, India and Singapore. On these adventures he avoids the cities and heads for the jungles where he can experience nature.

Marek has difficulty accepting the mundane. Before working at the Polar Station and building sundials, he tried working for General Motors but found work in a corporation too routine. The extremes of nature are what keep him going.

We enjoyed chatting with our fearless leader and wish him the best in the year to come!