Co-organizing
the Belgica Antarctic
Expedition. In 1895, Arctowski contacted the famous Belgian
explorer, Adrian de Gerlache de Gomery, organizer of the Belgica Antarctic
Expedition, and started work as scientific vice-director. The Norwegian
explorer, Roald Amundsen, and another Pole, Antoni Dobrowolski, also participated
in this expedition, which lasted from 1897 to 1899 and became the first
to winter in the Antarctic. Scientific work providing much valuable data
in many disciplines was carried out as the trapped vessel drifted in the
sea-ice. In addition to observations of sea-ice formation and types of
icebergs, Arctowski obtained a full year's cycle of meteorological observations.
As oceanographer he prepared a bathymetric map from soundings he made
during the ships drift.
Scientific success. His name has been given to a phenomenon in
which a halo resembling a rainbow, with two other partial arcs symmetrical
to the main one, forms around the sun as light is refracted through ice
crystals in the atmosphere.
Publication. On completing the expedition, Arctowski took employment
at the "Observatoire Royal de Belgique" in Uccle where he worked on materials
collected during the Belgica cruise and published the results in Résultats
de voyage de “Belgica” (1903-1913). Within the field of Geology he went
on to conform his own so-called 'Antarktand' hypothesis involving the
analogy between the formation of the South Andes, (particularly Tierra
del Fuego) and the Graham Peninsula of the Antarctic continent. With respect
to glaciology, he also found that the snow boundary had risen by 800 m
since the last glacial maximum, according to his observations in the Beagle
Channel. Apart from research work, he also delivered many lectures. During
a stay in London he made the acquaintance of Arian Jane Addy, an American
singer, whom he later married. In the summer of 1919, he participated
in an expedition to Spitsbergen and the Lofoten Islands on the vessel,
lle-de-France, as chief scientist.
Directing the natural sciences division at the NY Public Library.
After his return, Arctowski organized the natural sciences division at
the New York Public Library, where between 1911 and 1919 he held the post
of division director. In 1919, he prepared the maps and a memorandum regarding
Poland’s independence for the US delegation for the peace conference in
Versailles.
