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Yearly Archives: 2016 − News
Old coal mines closed
Coal mining has always been an important part of Longyearbyen, though of decreasing importance today. The significance of coal mining is immediately visible for every visitor to Longyearbyen, as old coal mines can be seen in many places near Longyearbyen. Some of these old mines, such as mine 2B above Nybyen, locally known as julenissegruve (Santa Claus mine), are popular sites for walks both for locals and visitors. The old mining installations are interesting, often with scenic views, and fascinating for photographers.
The opportunities have recently been greatly reduced. Parts of the roof of a conveyor belt of mine 6 in Adventdalen have collapsed and the whole mining facility at mine 6 has been closed to the public.
It is said that it will be made accessible again after dangerous parts have been removed or secured. Large parts are still intact. But there is currently no time plan and nobody can say when the mine will be opened again for visitors. The difficult economic situation of the mining company, Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani, does not make it easier. At least everybody involved is aware of the high historical and touristic value of the old mining installations, which are partly protected as part of the cultural heritage. This means that several authorities have to be involved in any work to clean up or secure the mines, something that is unlikely to speed up the process.
Currently, mine 1A (“American mine”, above the church), 2B (“Santa Claus mine”, above Nybyen), 5 (Endalen) and 6 (between Todalen and Bolterdalen) are closed until further notice.
At least, mine 3 is currently accessible as a museum for guided groups.
Mine 2B (“Santa Claus mine”) near Longyearbyen is amongst the old mines which are now closed for visitors.
Source: Svalbardposten
Polar bear shot on Prins Karls Forland
The series of sad news about deadly encounters between polar bears and humans in Spitsbergen does not stop: on August 09, a polar bear was shot in the bay Selvågen on Prins Karls Forland on Spitsbergen’s west coast.
The polar bear was a young female, 2 years old, weighing 155 kg.
Since August 01, 6 Russian scientists were based in a camp in Selvågen. As far as known, the polar bear was for the first time in the vicinity of the camp on August 09. As she was in a distance of 130 metres (yes: one hundred and thirty metres!), one of the scientists fired a warning shot from a flare gun. Immediately thereafter, another fired two sharp shots from a rifle. At least one of these shots must have hit the polar bear on a distance of 130 m.
The wounded animal went into the water where she died soon. The Russians towed her to the shore with a rope.
This happened around 10 p.m. The Sysselmannen was informed about 12 hours later. The law requires to inform the authorities as soon as possible in such a case.
Once local investigations are completed, the case will be forwarded the the federal prosecutor in Troms og Finnmark (north Norway).
Further details have not yet been published, but the distance of 130 m and the short time between the warning shot and the sharp shots may indicate that no serious attempt was made to scare the bear away and save her life.
The bay Selvågen a few days before the polar bear was shot on August 09.
Source: Svalbardposten
Polar bear family shot at Austfjordneset: shooter gets fine
The case of the polar bear family shot in June at Austfjordneset has been matter of this blog in two previous articles (click here for the first one and here for the second one).
The verdict of the public prosecutor in Tromsø has now been published. The shooter has got a fine of 20,000.00 NOK (just above 2100 Euro) because of negligence (“uaktsomhet”). The man has accepted the fine, the verdict is accordingly in force.
Polar bear family shot at Austfjordneset – Course of action
The polar bear mother and her cub had been around the hut already for a while, when the shooter wanted to scare her away with a rubber bullet. The the weapon, probably a pump-action shotgun, was loaded with a mixture of sharp ammunition and rubber bullets. The shooter did not know exactly how the weapon was loaded and fired a sharp cartridge rather than a rubber bullet, killing the polar bear mother instead of scaring her away with a harmless hit.
There was no acute danger to human life during the situation, as the shooter was on the roof of the cabin and the second person inside.
Both trappers are back on Austfjordneset and will continue their wintering. A few days ago, another polar bear that could not be scared away from the station area had been tranquilized and flown out to Nordaustland by the authorities.
Polar bear family at Nordenskiöldbreen (archive image, September 2012).
Source: Sysselmannen
Female polar bear and cub shot at Austfjordneset: case goes to Tromsø
The sad shooting of a mother polar bear and her first year cub has been the matter of the last news posting on this website. A trapper wanted to scare the polar bear away with a rubber bullet, but by mistake he took a sharp cartridge and fired a lethal shot at the bear. The cub was later on the same day shot by the police, as it did not have a chance for survival on its own in the arctic wilderness.
Now the authorities in Longyearbyen have decided that the case will not be negotiated locally within the institution of the Sysselmannen, which would be the normal procedure. Instead, the case will be forwarded to the public prosecutor in Tromsø. It was said that this is because of the large public interest in the case. Additionally, the trappers are using a hut owned by the Sysselmannen. It may be that the Sysselmannen wants to prevent any criticism of being prejudiced at an early stage.
The hut at Austfjordneset in Wijdefjord was originally built privately as a trappers hut but has now been state property for a number of years. Out of the many huts owned by the Sysselmannen, this is the only one which is lent to private persons who want to live there for a year as trappers. The purpose is to keep the tradition alive. It is a condition that the trappers have to hunt actively, which does of course not include polar bears. These are strictly protected. Species that are hunted include mainly reindeer, polar fox, ptarmigan and seals.
Polar bear family at Nordenskiöldbreen (archive image from september 2012).
Source: Sysselmannen
Female polar bear and cub shot at Austfjordneset
A female polar bear and her first year cub were shot at Austfjordneset (inner Wijdefjord) in Spitsbergen on June 13 (during the season, news are updated with delays. The focus is currently on the travel blog). Two persons are currently living at Austfjordneset to winter there as trappers.
The bear had been in the vicinity of the hut for a while, probably because of nests of Common eiders in that area. It is common that polar bears eat eggs and chicks of tundra breeders during the breeding season. It is, however, uncommon that a mother bear with a cub comes close to human presence.
One of the two inhabitants of the hut was inside, the other one was on the roof to scare the bear away with warning shots. While doing so, it came to a fatal mistake: rather than with a rubber bullet as intended to scare the female polar bear away without injury, the shooter loaded his gun with sharp shot. This proved to be lethal on a distance of 8.5 metres.
On advice by a polar bear specialist of the Norwegian Polar Institute, the police shot the cub on location the same day. The cub, being about 6 months old, did not have a chance for survival on its own.
As all cases of polar bears killed, the incident is now matter of legal investigation at the Sysselmannen’s office in Longyearbyen. Polar bears are completely protected in Spitsbergen. Only in cases of self defence, a kill is exempt from punishment.
The two trappers, Norwegians 28 and 29 years old who had studied at UNIS and worked as guides in Longyearbyen, returned to Austfjordneset after police questioning in Longyearbyen.
The case of the group of ski tourists from Finland, who had injured a polar bear at Verlegenhuken north on Spitsbergen which then had to be shot by the police, has been closed meanwhile. According to the Sysselmannen, it was not a criminal act.
Photo
Happy little polar bear family in Kongfjord. The mother is chewing on remains of a dead walrus, while her first year cub is playing with a piece of driftwood. Normally, female polar bears with offspring stay away from human presence. Unfortunately, there are exceptions to this rule.
Sources: Sysselmannen, Svalbardposten
Svalbardmelding: new Norwegian white paper for Spitsbergen-politics
The Norwegian government publishes a strategy paper to define a framework for Spitsbergen-related politics every couple of years. The last one came in 2009 and the new one had been announced a while ago. Local players were eagerly waiting for it, hoping for new and positive impacts for the local development especially in times where one of the major local economic driving forces, the coal mining industry, is largely collapsing.
Now it is there, the new Svalbard white paper was published this week and it is now widely discussed in regional media.
Most commentators are disappointed, all in all. The new Svalbardmelding is a description of obvious developments rather than a package of impulses to drive future development. Comments are quickly drifting into the details of local economic policy, and maybe that is what is new about it: economy is more important than it was in the 2009 paper. But it is no news that coal mining is of decreasing importance. More year-round full time jobs are to be created, preferably in the private sector, but public institutions may just as well increase their local presence. The future fate of the mining company Store Norske remains unclear, and so does the answer to the question who will fill the gap that Store Norske has left in Longyearbyen’s economy as a major industrial actor. Local ideas to development Longyearbyen’s industry as a fishery port are not taken much further by the new Svalbardmelding. These are amongst the questions that locals want to have answered.
Neither is there much clarity about flight traffic. Due to historical contracts and Spitsbergen’s special political situation, Longyearbyen is currently not open as destination for scheduled flights from non-Norwegian airports. Recently, Finnair has cancelled flights already scheduled and in sale for this summer, much to the regret of the local tourism industry.
Another important issue is local power supply. It is not a secret that the coal power plant, originally built in 1983, is not going to last forever. The question of the future electricity supply is going beyond the technicalities of how power is getting into sockets in Longyearbyen: the vision of Longyearbyen, a small and electrically isolated community, as a laboratory for technology for the energy supply of the future, has been discussed for quite a while already. A clever realization of this vision might create knowledge of global importance and local jobs. The new Spitsbergen whitepaper does not make much of a contribution to these ideas. Important impulses for these developments are not expected from the new paper.
The only concrete task that is heralded by the Svalbardmelding is 10 million NOK (currently just above 1 million Euro) for new accommodation, also as a reaction to the loss of 11 houses during the avalanche in December 2015.
The new Spitsbergen white paper (Svalbardmelding) does not bring any surprises or major unexpected impulses to the local development.
Sources: amongst others. highnorthnews.com, Svalbardposten, regjeringen.no.
Jan Mayen 2016: one seat available
One flexible and determined expeditioner can join us in June 2016 on our expedition to Jan Mayen on short notice – one seat has become available again due to a cancellation. This is your chance to join us on 13th June 2016 in Ísafjörður, when we set sail for Jan Mayen to spend an exciting (roughly) 6 days there, potentially including the option to climb Beerenberg or to hike all over the island, as far as you can and want to.
For more information about this amazing as well as demanding trip, click here or get in touch.
Click here for some photos and panoramas from Jan Mayen. There is also a link to the webcam of the Norwegian station on Jan Mayen.
Jan Mayen: view to Beerenberg. One person can join us again in June 2016 on our sailing, hiking and climbing expedition to Jan Mayen.
Polar bear near Longyearbyen anaesthetized and flown out
The Sysselmannen has decided to anaesthetize the polar bear and to fly it out and far away from Longyearbyen. This was promptly done in cooperation with the Norwegian Polar Institute, which is routinely doing similar operations in connection with field work. The polar bear is now flown out towards the east, to be released somewhere safe and far away from the settlements.
According to Sysselmannen and Norwegian Polar Institute, this operation was more gentle for the polar bear than scaring it away with helicopters.
Two photos from the operation
The polar bear in Adventdalen near Longyearbyen shortly after anaesthetization. Biologists are doing some investigations before it is loaded into the helicopter.
The helicopter with the polar bear on its way to the east.
Polar bear near Longyearbyen
A polar bear in the close vicinity of Longyearbyen is not an everyday event, it is the first time since October 2014. The police is out with helicopter and snow mobile to make sure the situation is kept under control, while many onlookers are gathering on the rim of Longyearbyen near Adventdalen.
The bear is on the shoreline in Adventdalen, maybe (rough estimate) 2 km away from town. And he (or she?) is the only one who does not care about all the excitement: he is lying, sleeping and doing nothing so far.
Polar bear in Adventdalen, maybe 2 km away from Longyearbyen. The photo was taken from Longyearbyen.
Polar bear shot at Verlegenhuken
A polar bear was shot on Saturday at Verlegenhuken, on the north coast of Spitsbergen.
A group of four ski tourists from Finnland, on Spitsbergen for a 3 week trip, was on Verlegenhuken when the men were approached by the polar bear. Initially, they could scare it away with a signal pistol, but then the bear approached again and a rifle shot was fired from a distance of 35 metres. The polar bear was wounded and went away. The group alarmed the Sysselmannen. Officials arriving by helicopter managed to find the bear in a snow cave in a cliff and shot it.
The body of the polar bear was taken to Longyearbyen for a post mortem. Until now, it is only known that it was a male bear weighing 116 kg. The weight suggests that it was a young animal, possibly malnutritioned in addition. But this is not confirmed information.
The case will routinely be a matter of police investigation to establish wether or not it was a case of self defense. In case of carelessness, the law opens for fines or even imprisonment.
The last time a polar bear was shot was in March 2015 in Tempelfjord.
Photo – Polar bear shot at Verlegenhuken
The polar bear at Verlegenhuken, which was shot on Saturday (photo © Irene Sætermoen / Sysselmannen på Svalbard).
Source: Sysselmannen
Surging glaciers in Spitsbergen
Several of Spitsbergen’s glaciers are on the move. A rather sudden type of advance called glacial surge is linked to the internal mechanics of ice movement. These glaciers are building up ice volume in the catchment area over decades to discharge this within relatively short time (typically 1-2 years), something that involves rapid movement of up to an impressive 10 meters per day or even more. As a result, surging glaciers are usually strongly crevassed.
This behaviour has recently been observed at Penckbreen (Van Keulenfjord) and Aavaatsmarkbreen. It is also currently known from other Svalbard glaciers. Around 2014, the advance of parts of the ice cap Austfonna has attracted attention.
The surge behaviour is linked to ice dynamics and not to a climatically induced positive mass balance. Altogether, Spitsbergen’s glaciers are suffering from a significant loss of ice volume, with a tendency to increasing speed of loss in recent years due to climate change.
Surging glaciers in Spitsbergen – Penckbreen Surge
The surging glacier Penckbreen (foto April 2016 © Stig Onarheim, with friendly permission).
Source: Feltlogg, Svalbardglaciers.org.
Trappers Trail – 09th April 2016
The Trappers Trail dog sled race is a good reason to be in Longyearbyen on a certain Saturday in mid April. It has been an annual tradition since 2009. On this weekend, 09th and 10th of April, 26 teams are joining the race in one out of three categories: ski and pulk with one, two or three dogs, while the musher is standing on skies. Dog sled with 3-5 DP (dog powers) and dog sled with 6-8 DP.
The teams are starting at 1200, following upon one another every two minutes, from the area next to Forskingsparken (Svalbardmuseum, UNIS) under cheerful shouting of the onlookers. One or the other team does, of course, make a stop on the left or right side to say hello to a particular friend, something that usually involves the dogs more than the mushers and is part of the fun, which is what it is all about. Then, they disappear in the great white nothing in Adventdalen (it is snowing today).
The race is taking the teams to Kapp Laila in Colesbukta and tomorrow back along another route, a distance of altogether 75 km, including some demanding ascents. A tough trip under a competition, but distance and terrain are well within what trained dog teams regularly do.
- gallery anchor link: #gallery_872
Click on thumbnail to open an enlarged version of the specific photo.
Over the years, the Trappers Trail dog sled race has built up a good reputation beyond Longyearbyen and it is an established part of the annual series of events that attract both locals and visitors.
Good and safe trip to all participants!
Easter brainteaser: the answer
This year’s Easter brainteaser brought a surprising and interesting result – none of the answers was right. Maybe I have underestimated the difficulty of the question? It looks like it. Even several seasoned colleagues who should have been there 10 times or more have not recognized the place.
This is even more surprising as the photo does not show an unknown bay, but one of Spitsbergen’s most famous places: Virgohamna on Danskøya. It was Virgohamna where the Swede Salomon August Andrée started his tragic North Pole voyage in 1897, followed by the American Walter Wellman, who started at the same place in 1906, 1907 and 1909, not getting anywhere near the pole either, but with an outcome less tragic.
Because of the history and the Harbour seals that can sometimes be seen there, Virgohamna is a popular place to visit still today. Already the above-mentioned expeditions attracted curious tourists, who came on ships that were anchoring in Virgohamna, just staying and waiting for the expeditions to take off. The old photo must have been taken on one of these occasions.
Still … no right answer. The answers sent in are suggesting Spitsbergen’s real coal harbours: Barentsburg, Colesbukta, Adventfjord, Pyramiden. This is certainly due to the misleading caption. Virgohamna does not have anything with a coal harbour to do, there is no coal anywhere in that area. The newspaper redaction which used the photo did probably not have a more appropriate one, so they used Virgohamna, guessing nobody would know the difference. They were obviously right! This is, of course, mean 🙁 but the landscape features are characteristic, and those who have been there should have had a fair chance 😉 or not? The view shown in the lower, recent image is seen every year by hundreds.
As there is no right answer, but an Easter brainteaser without a winner would be a rather sad affair, a winner was drawn by lot. The price goes to Tommy H. in the Netherlands – congratulations! Tommy will be contacted.
Where is that? The answer: Virgohamna!
A similar view of Virgohamna on a grey summer day in 2015 (looking east from the western end of the bay).
No direct flights from Helsinki to Longyearbyen
Finnair had announced last year to offer direct flights from Helsinki to Longyearbyen for 3 months in summer 2016. The tickets had been for sale for a while already, but as it turned out now, the Norwegian aviation authority is unable to grant permission for these flights due to a convention between Norway and Finnland from 1978 that regulates air traffic between these two countries. It has later been replaced by an agreement that regulates air traffic in the whole European Economic Area (EEA), but as Svalbard is not part of the EEA, the older convention is still in force here. One is left with the impression that the whole thing is a bureaucratic slip or a fools day joke if this post had been out a day earlier, but it is a fact for the time being.
Finnair has announced not make use of the opportunity to file an official complaint, which might still have led to a short-term change of the legal situation. The company has rather decided to cancel the flights and to re-imburse customers who have already bought a ticket.
The tourism industry in Longyearbyen had already been looking forward to about more 3000 guests during a locally otherwise rather calm season.
Welcome to Longyearbyen airport: currently not for Finnair.
Source: Highnorthnews
Earthquake in Longyearbyen
There was an earthquake yesterday (Tuesday, 29th March) in Spitsbergen that was clearly felt in Longyearbyen. At 1231 hours, houses were shaken and a loud rumble was heard and felt. Some thought of an avalanche or a small avalanche from the roof of their house. In some cases, furniture moved up to 30 cm and plates were chattering in shelves and on tables.
Many people were initially afraid, which is understandable considering that Longyearbyen has felt the destructive powers of nature quite recently during the avalanche before Christmas. People in the administration building (Næringsbygget), opposite the post office, spontaneously decided to evacuate for some minutes. The earthquake was also clearly felt in Barentsburg. No damage occurred anywhere as far as known.
The epicentre is in Storfjord, west of Edgeøya. The hypocentre (epicentre with fixed vertical position) is assumed to be at 10 km depth. The earthquake reached 5.3 on Richter’s scale, making it strong enough to potentially cause damage, but far from the destructive force that turns cities into ashes or causes Tsunamis elsewhere in the world.
There are active faults (large cracks in the crust) in Storfjord which are frequently causing earthquakes. Recent ones were noticed in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2014, the strongest one being the one from February 2008, which reached a remarkable 6.2 on Richter’s scale. In addition comes a large number of earthquakes that is recorded by seismic instruments, but not noticed in public.
This is what the earthquake on Tuesday looked like. (Seriously: this is of course a fake image, composed of several frames taken out of one photo.)
Source: Svalbardposten
News-Listing live generated at 2024/April/25 at 05:45:20 Uhr (GMT+1)
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