-
current
recommendations- Liefdefjord
New page dedicated to one of Spitsbergen's most beautiful fjords. Background information and many photos.
- New Spitsbergen guidebook
The new edition of my Spitsbergen guidebook is out and available now!
- Liefdefjord
New page dedicated to one of Spitsbergen's most beautiful fjords. Background information and many photos.
-
weather information
      |
 |
Calendar 2025: Spitsbergen & Greenland |  |
Home →
Yearly Archives: 2018 − News & Stories
More temperature records in the Arctic
While central Europe is freezing, the weather is breaking records in the Arctic – once again, and towards warmer temperatures, of course. Temperatures in Longyearbyen have been above the long-term average (1960-90) without interruption since November 2010 – that is for more than 7 years! Currently, it is raining in Longyearbyen, and temperatures are above freezing.
The situation in highest latitudes, up to the very North Pole, is maybe even more extreme. Even there, in the deepest arctic winter, the time that should be the coldest of the year, temperatures are currently above zero. There is no weather station at the North Pole, but data from remote sensing are clear enough, telling us that the temperature at the North Pole is currently 30 degrees Celsius above the average. In words: thirty degrees Celsius!
This applies to almost the whole Arctic Ocean north of 80 degrees. Considering the whole area, temperatures are calculated to be 20 degrees above normals values. The Danish Meteorological Institute has got data spanning the whole period since 1958 and there is nothing that compares.
Periods of mild weather in the Arctic are not completely now, but they have been increasing in frequency and intensity since 1980 and especially in recent years. The current episode is, however, recordbreaking. According to Robert Graham from the Norwegian Polar Institute, there have been four periods similar (but less intense) weather between 1980 and 2010, but another four already in the last five yars.
Open water in Adventfjord next to Longyearbyen in the middle of the polar night: nothing unusual today.
Today’s event is most likely linked to the weak ice conditions in the Arctic Ocean. In January 2018, less ice was observed than ever before. Even north of Greenland, an area that historically had reliable ice conditions in terms of heavy, dense, multi-year ice, there is currently open water. The temperatures do not contribute to renewed freezing: the automatic weather station at Kap Morris Jesup in northernmost Greenland has up to Sunday recorded a stunning 61 hours of temperatures above zero. The record so far was 16 hours for one whole winter – that’s the whole periods until late April – and it dates back to 1980.
View of Longyearbyen through the webcam of UNIS: rain and thawing snow in January 🙁
While the details of the meteorological processes are not fully understood, scientists do not have any doubt that the high temperatures in the water of the Greenland Sea and those of the atmosphere in the high Arctic are linked. Ice, warm water and the movements of low pressure systems are connected and form a complex system, which also seems to involve the higher atmosphere: unusually warm temperatures were also recorded in the stratosphere, more than 10,000 metres high and thus above the everyday weather events, a couple of weeks ago. Details remain yet to be fully investigated.
It should at least get colder again in Longyearbyen from Wednesday onwards.
Summarizing source: Washington Post
Discussion about new huts for commercial tourism in Spitsbergen
While the sun is slowly returning to Spitsbergen after the polar night, the discussion about new huts for commercial use by local tour operators is going on: Should it be possible to build new huts in the field?
The discussion started with the last Stortingsmelding, a government policy statement issued in 2016 that drafts an outline of politics for Svalbard for the years to come. With the background of diminishing coal mining, most parties involved agree that tourism should be developed as a cornerstone for the local economy in Longyearbyen. To help this, the Stortingsmelding opens for the possibility of new huts being built for use by local tour operators in the context of their organised tours (not for individual use, neither commercial nor private, to be clear on this). Activities are supposed to be more or less close to Longyearbyen, at least within administration area 10, between Isfjord and Van Mijenfjord.
The use of huts for tourism does not have a tradition in Spitsbergen and it is controversial, to put it mildly, as opposed to mainland Norway, where the use of huts for tours is well established and open also for tourists. In Spitsbergen, only locals may use huts privately. So far, there are only 3 huts outside Longyearbyen which may be used commercially. One is near Nordenskiöldbreen in Billefjord, another one is at Brentskardet in inner Adventdalen and the third one is close to Sveagruva in Van Mijenfjord.
Now the question is if and where further huts should be permitted. Local tour operators could file their applications in 2017 and everybody could comment on the applications until end of Janury 2018. The Sysselmannen received twelve statements with relevant comments (plus 8 without comments). These statements came both from private persons and from institutions including the Miljødirektorat (Norwegian environmental authority), the Norwegian Polar Institute and the Riksantikvar (protection of historical monuments and sites). Most statements share an altogether critical attitude. The Polar Institute examins all potential sites for new huts regarding their ecological values and comments on the damage to the environment that permanent infrastructure may have in these places. Private persons from Longyearbyen, including some of the few trappers who are still active in Spitsbergen, seem to share a very critical perspective. Remarkably, rather than general opposition to the idea of huts (there are, of course, pros and cons to this as well), the statements mostly offer a detailed discussion of the specific sites.
The sites in question are:
These sites are being discussed for new huts for commercial use in Spitsbergen.
- Elveneset (point 1 on the map) at the mouth of De Geerdalen in Sassenfjord. The idea of a new, commercially used hut in one of the last lowlands and river delta areas close to Longyearbyen currently without any infrastructure is not met with any enthusiasm at all. The values of this tundra area for wildlife such as reindeer and polar foxes are highlighted and stand in contrast to regular use. A new hut would be near a fox den. Pretty much all statements look critically at the idea of a hut at Elveneset. This includes the Miljødirektorat, which will presumably have an important say in this discussion.
- Sveltihel (2), a lowland area in Sassendalen on the coast of Tempelfjord. This site does not seem to conflict too much with the local environment, but according to the important Miljødirektorat, it is too far away from Longyearbyen and too close to a national park.
- Kreklingpasset (3), between De Geerdalen and Helvetiadalen. According to the various statements, one of few sites that can at least be considered for a new hut, without too much potential for environmental or other conflicts. Locals, however, see their regularly used tour areas compromised.
- Tverrdalen (4), south of Adventdalen. Away from the coast as Kreklingpasset, and additionally not near the commonly used routes for private and commercial tours and without much potential to disturb the local environment. The site is hence likely to remain in the discussion.
- Langneset in Van Mijenfjord, between Sveagruva and Reindalen (5). All statements are explicitely critical regarding this site. Van Mijenfjord is the only fjord on the west coast of Spitsbergen that does still freeze during the late winter, at least in its inner reaches, as it is sheltered from the open sea by the island Akseløya. Hence, Van Mijenfjord is an important area for seals to give birth, and there seem to be several polar bears rather stationary in this area, including females who use the area to give birth in snow caves. Extending regular tours into this area is an idea that most people and institutions do not like. If the Sysselmannen takes the statements seriously, then this site should not have a chance to remain in the discussion.
The number of permits that will be issued in the end is not defined. In theory, it might be all sites or none. In any case, there will be strict regulations for the use of the huts: only within the context of organised tours, no additional traffic in the field and preferably non-motorized access etc. But some fear that it may be difficult to control how the huts are used and related tours are operated in practice, once the huts are there.
Also the author of this article sees the establishment of new, permanent infrastructure in so-far largely untouched nature areas critically. If additional infrastructure is to be used in the field, then one might also opt for mobile solutions that can be used seasonally and easily be removed without a trace after the season. This would also make it easier to control the future development in case of unexpected, undesired developments.
Der Hyperittfossen, a waterfall at Elveneset in De Geerdalen: the mostly untouched landscape and nature would hardly benefit from a new hut.
Source: Sysselmannen
Antarctic Cruise with SY Anne-Margaretha – travel blog on antarctic.eu
Wed
17 Jan
2018
There is a blog for our current voyage to Antarctica with the two-mast sailing ship SY Anne-Margaretha. Please click here to visit the blog on antarctic.eu! Reports will start in the next few days and will be transmitted via satellite to the webmaster (so the technology works) and published by him and linked in Facebook the next day.
2017, October to December: polar night
October brought the terrible crash of the Russian helicopter that fell into Isfjord, not too far away from Barentsburg. All 8 on board perished tragically. This sad event touched everybody in Spitsbergen and many people elsewhere deeply.
For me, it was time to return to the office in October (more about the results later), before we set sails one last time in the Arctic for this year to enjoy the beauty of the approaching polar night in north Norway. Certainly a rather unusual time for tourists to come to these latitudes, but beautiful. Light, snow, scenery, places. Oh yes, and Sea eagles!
Sea eagle in Trollfjord.
In Spitsbergen, the polar night had set in for real. A good time to relax a bit. If you have too much time, you can always remove someone’s letterbox.
No long expeditions, but still, impressions of silent beauty, and time to meet friends – and yourself, after many months of intense travelling. And we could enjoy some northern lights!
Northern light above Foxdalen.
And then the year was almost over. Before we replaced the old calenders, there were some weeks of intense work for the finishing touches on a new edition of the English version of the Spitsbergen guidebook (the very last bit of finetuning happened actually in January – doesn’t really matter, does it?). The most comprehensive (608 pages!) and up-to-date version of this book that exists (I know, the latest version is always the most up-to-date one. And it does not yet exist, physically, it is in print as I am writing this in mid January). It is actually the 10th edition, if I count all languages, starting with the first German edition in 2007, the 5th edition of which is currently available. In spring 2017, it came out for the first time in Norwegian. And now a new English edition. By the way, the third book that I finished and got into print in a year. So I do say without hesitation that I am actually a bit proud! The Spitsbergen guidebook is appreciated by many readers, I know that. That includes professional expedition leaders and guides, which makes me even more proud. Now, if there is one thing that I’d be allowed to wish, then it would be some of the appreciation of readers and colleagues also in some offices, ship owners and travel companies as well as dedicated museums in Norway (mainland). Wouldn’t it be good if you could buy this book on board your ship in Spitsbergen while you travel there? Or, say, at Polaria in Tromsø, a museum/exhibition centre dedicated to Spitsbergen? Maybe one of them happens to stumble over these lines … maybe the word of the appreciation of readers and expedition field staff spreads into those offices. That would be my wish for this book and for me as a polar book writer for the upcoming year.
This is what the new guidebook Spitsbergen-Svalbard (4th edition) will look like.
When this blog is online, then I am already off and far in the south, in Ushuaia or already on board SY Anne-Margaretha to enjoy Antarctica under sails. An amazing thought, and now it is about to become reality! So come back to this site to check the blog!
Thank you for reading this far. Best wishes for the new year!
September 2017 reviewed: arctic light, polar bears and an Italian lost and found
Public attention in Longyearbyen in September 2017 was for some time largely attracted by several polar bears who seemed happy to stay around in the neighbourhood. Of course, also the locals love to see a polar bear, but not where they live, go for a walk and let their children go to school.
An Italian tourist managed to get lost big time on Fuglefjella, west of Longyearbyen. That kept the local branch of the Red Cross and other SAR forces pretty busy for a very long night, so it was hard to say if one should laugh or cry in the end. The man was found and saved in good condition, and that’s the most important thing in the end, doesn’t it?
Evening cruise in Kongsfjord.
We spent a couple of really lovely days in Pyramiden. You will probably know that this is indeed a very special place, and if you are open for the partly pretty bizarre impressions that the place has to offer, then you can just keep discovering forever! That’s just what we did – not forever, but for a couple of days that I really don’t want to miss. I guess my personal highlight was the hike over Yggdrasilkampen, the mountain south of Pyramiden. Just stunning views! Click here to check it out as a full 360 degree panorama. It would have been even more fun without a cold, but still … and of course, there is always something new to discover in Pyramiden itself. And a group of nice people. What else could you ask for? In the end, nobody really wanted to leave.
View from Yggdrasilkampen over Mimerdalen and Pyramiden.
What else did September bring? Light, light and light. That’s what this transition time between midnight sun and polar night is famous for. Never-ending sunrises and sunsets, skies that can be anything from orange and pink to red and blue, a dark-green shine on the glaciers … we got all of that, and much more. The only light phenomenon that was a bit scarce was the northern light. Not that there were none at all, but we had better northern light seasons in the past.
The famous mountains Tre Kroner (“three Crowns”) in Kongsfjord in evening light.
But what else do you need of you are surrounded by such scenic magic?
Yes! A fire on the beach! 🙂
Cosy fire on the beach in Woodfjord.
August 2017 reviewed: Lady Franklinfjord, Rossøya and further highlights
The police raid on the local drug scene – which is not the world’s biggest one – was probably the biggest public excitement in August in Longyearbyen. They have to show every couple of years that drugs are not tolerated in such a small and remote community. This appears not to have been a great success this year, as they had to release those again who were initially taken in custody. But on the other hand, if you find out in the end that nothing much had happened (at least as far as you have evidence for), then it is not a bad thing either, is it?
As far as I am concerned, I continued around Svalbard on board Arctica II (“advanced Spitsbergen”; there is still, by the way, an empty seat on this (German speaking) trip in 2018). In that sense, August started in late July, as that’s when we left Longyearbyen again. And on the very same day we could venture for a lovely walk on Bohemanflya. Which is really not far away from Longyearbyen, but you have to have the right weather for a landing there, and we did!
Grave on Bohemanflya.
The weather continued to be fine for some time. I don’t know how many times I had sailed up and down the northern west coast of Spitsbergen, between Kongsfjord and Magdalenefjord, that bit of coast that is known as “Dei Sju Isfjella” (“the seven icebergs”) since the 17th century? And I had never been ashore on this exposed, wild coastline! Obviously a situation that could not be tolerated forever. In bright sunshine and amazingly calm seas, we went ashore in Kvedfjordbukta and enjoyed life there for a while, feeling that we might be the first people there in many years. And that may actually have been pretty close to the truth. A good feeling that we could enjoy yet another couple of times during this trip!
Kvedfjordbukta: rare opportunity for a landing there in perfect conditions.
This includes the amazing days in Lady Franklinfjord and – a geographic highlight in the truest sense of the word – the landing on Rossøya, the northernmost bit of land in the whole of Svalbard. Not that it is a very significant island beyond its furthest north position. But it is the northernmost one. That’s already more than good enough, isn’t it? 🙂
There is no land in Svalbard north of Rossøya.
Heinrich Eggenfellner is putting us ashore.
In this way I could continue, raving on about many lovely landings, but we did certainly not ignore the wildlife either. Nobody of the small number of people who were there will forget that polar bear sighting on Edgeøya. And the same is true for the wild passage around the south cape and the adventurous landing that followed on the west coast.
A walrus (dead) and a polar bear (very much alive) on Edgeøya.
Oh yes, and then we still managed to finish the Spitsbergen calendar 2018 in late August. We are getting better every year, even though it was not available in July, as I had been hoping for. But as you can see, we were not lazy in the book (& related) publishing department either!
The Spitsbergen calendar 2018 came out in August.
July 2017 reviewed: the south cape, polar bears and arctic Christmas
Considering public news, July was a rather calm month in Spitsbergen. Which is great. No news are good news. Of course, there is always something, but all within reason. The reindeer were doing well, there were no avalanches and no extreme weather situations. We could pretty much just enjoy!
And so we did, mostly with SV Antigua. We started actually already in late June, and the first highlight – I am coming to my personal perspective – came quickly in shape of a rare landing near Spitsbergen’s south cape (Sørkapp).
Landing close to Sørkapp (the south cape) of Spitsbergen.
Other people who were there with me will probably rather remember the Blue whale that we saw close up later the same day, or the polar fox family a day later. And no doubt, these are all precious memories. But for me personally, well, I just love rare landings, these hidden places that almost nobody knows and even fewer people ever get to. But these places to all have their secrets. More often than not, there is something exciting to discover!
Blue whale in Storfjord.
But still, the wildlife is a big chunk of Spitsbergen’s beauty. And the sighting of a female polar bear with one cub who were feasting on the remains of a dead whale on Danskøya were amongst the highlights of these weeks!
Happy polar bear family and an unhappy whale on Danskøya.
And if you ask anyone who was on board, then I am sure most will tell you that the landing on an ice floe is one of the most precious memories that they took home from this great trip. How often do you have the chance to stand on drift ice on 80 degrees north? Feel like Nansen! But not for 3 years … we left a bit earlier.
Ice landing on 80 degrees north.
Back in Longyearbyen, I could finally finish my arctic Christmas book (German only, sorry). The second book that I could finish and get printed this year, after the Norwegian version of my Svalbard guidebook! Finally, considering the arctic Christmas book, as I have to admit. It took me a good 10 years since I started with this one! Making a book does always take time, but in this case one of the main problems had been someone who would be able to create the drawings that I had on my mind for this book. Until I saw last year – also on Antigua, by the way – what Norbert Wachter could do with a pencil and a sheet of paper. So we went, and here we are! Done! 🙂
The arctic christmas book: finally in print in late July.
Melting sea ice makes research on polar bears more difficult
It is becoming increasingly difficult for the researchers on Spitsbergen to study the migrations of polar bears on the Barents Sea between Svalbard and Russia. There are about 3000 polar bears living in the area, but only about 300 polar bears can be studied by the researchers. The reason is the withdrawal of sea ice, which causes that the migrating polar bears can no longer reach Svalbard.
Migration of polar bears can be traced by a GPS collar
“The situation has changed drastically,” says polar bear researcher Jon Aars from the Norwegian Polar Institute. Since 1987, the polar bears on Spitsbergen have been systematically examined. Until the 1990s, not only polar bears living all year round on Spitsbergen were observed, but also those who migrate over long distances on the sea ice on the Barents Sea between Russia and Spitsbergen. A large part of this stock could also be found on Spitsbergen for some time of the year, so that the migratory movements could be well studied.
Today, almost only bears are tagged, who spend the whole year on Spitsbergen. Only two or three out of 20 tagged bears migrate to Russia. The result is less data about the migratory movements of the polar bears. The data is needed to organize the conservation of polar bears.
Since the bears can no longer reach Spitsbergen, researchers try to find ways to approach the polar bears. But it is much more difficult to approach the polar bear on sea ice. The ice must be stable enough for a helicopter to land on. At the same time, the open sea should not be too close so that the polar bear does not jump into the sea and drown there after being tranquilized. Whether this data is actually needed to organize the conservation of polar bears, remains controversial.The negative effects of tagging has been reported on this website several times (“Polar bear found dead in Petuniabukta had been anaesthetised for scientific purposes” or “Male polar bear injured by scientific collar”)
Jon Aars also appeals to the russian scientists to show more effort in researching the polar bears, for example on Franz-Josef-Land.
The ice is getting thinner for the polar bears of the Barents Sea…
Source: NRK
2017 reviewed: June, Jan Mayen – the lava caves on Beerenberg
I have to start with a confession: I forgot the main excitement in Longyearbyen in April: the town was running out of toilet paper! People in arctic Longyearbyen seem to a surprisingly large degree be willing to accept climate change, they keep cool when the Russian military supposedly exercises attacks on their home, who cares, some loss is part of the game. But no toilet paper anymore? That’s serious business!
The excitement about the supposed flooding of the seed vault / “doomsday vault” falls into a similar category. Indeed, in October 2016, during a period with a lot of rain, there was some water coming into the entrance area of the vault. That should not have happened and those who were concerned with it were not happy and some money was to be spent to get things right, but what had actually happened was far from being any real drama. But that came more than half a year later in international media. Someone happened to pick up that marginalium, spiced it with some drama, tolerantly overlooked that it had all happened more than half a year ago and blew it out into the world, where it was picked up by surprisingly many media, including some serious ones. Nobody came on the idea to check what had really happened, there was a lot of recycling of copied information and that is usually not a good idea. Checking the seed vault’s website would have been enough, but that was obviously too much to ask for. Well, I am happy that this website did not follow the hype.
Regarding my own polar perspective, Jan Mayen was the main event in June. For the fourth time, I went to that volcanic island in the north, 3 days of sailing from Iceland, on a small boat across a big sea. Jan Mayen is an extremely fascinating place. The more time you spend there, the more you realize how much there is to see. As usual, we made a lot of kilometres during our various hikes. Next to many other impressions, the lava caves on Beerenberg were the main thing for me this time. While a group of mountaineers climbed up to the peak of Beerenberg (where I had been in 2015), I took the opportunity to explore a couple of lava caves in Schmelckdalen on the south slope of Beerenberg. Stunning! It is a bizarre feeling to be actually inside Beerenberg, in the guts of this arctic volcano. I probably don’t have to mention that it is a hard-to-get-to place. That was my highlight in June.
Lava cave in Schmelckdalen on Beerenberg, Jan Mayen.
Reviewing 2017, May: Bear Island – Perleporten
In May, we started the arctic summer season a.k.a. sailing season on good old SV Antigua. We took off in Bodø in north Norway and spent a couple of lovely days in Lofoten and Vesterålen, before we ventured north across the Barents Sea. I have to admit that I did not expect too much from this year’s visit to Bear Island (Bjørnøya), based on the weather forecast that we had when we left Tromsø. But it was so good that we ended up spending two days rather than just one at Bear Island!
After a first landing, we made a record-breaking Zodiac cruise of several miles around the south tip of the island. Usually a pretty rough place, but friendly today and always spectacular with its immense numbers of seabirds, towering cliffs, rock stacks and coastal caves. We managed amongst others to do the stunning passage of Perleporten, a coastal cave that is said to be about 170 metres long – yeah! And on the next day, we even got a surprise invitation to visit the weather station 🙂
Coastal scenery on Bear Island: passage of Perleporten.
Of course we still had some great days further north in Spitsbergen, but Bear Island is really something special and it did definitely not disappoint this time.
2017 reviewed: April in Spitsbergen – Sveagruva
After the big Antarctic Odyssey, I went straight up to Longyearbyen. One long trip from the southernmost regular airport in the world to the northernmost one, from the Beagle Channel to Isfjord, for a couple of weeks of arctic winter before the summer season was about to start. The atmosphere in Spitsbergen is stunning in early April, when there is still “warm” light. Sunsets that turn into sunrises, no night in between, just a bit of hauntingly beautiful twilight. The blue-red hour is longer than 60 minutes on 78 degrees latitude. “Warm” in inverted kommas, obviously 🙂
- gallery anchor link: #gallery_1369
Click on thumbnail to open an enlarged version of the specific photo.
A highlight that remains a vivid memory was actually the trip to the coal mining settlement of Sveagruva, because it turned out to be a unique opportunity. Coal mining was on standby at that time, there was only maintaince going on, but no production despite the opening of a brand new coal mine at Lunckefjellet in February 2014. It never went into productive operation. So the Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani had decided to open Sveagruva for limited tourism. It was even possible to visit the coal mine, Svea Nord.
- gallery anchor link: #gallery_1370
Click on thumbnail to open an enlarged version of the specific photo.
As the decision was made in Oslo in October 2017 that the days of coal mining in Sveagruva are over, the place and associated coal mines will be closed. It seems quite unlikely that there will be tourism or any other activitiy there in the future. So it is good to have used that opportunity to visit Sveagruva and the mine, Svea Nord and to get a good impression of coal mining, which was the dominant activitiy in Spitsbergen for a century. And a coal mine is a fascinating place, indeed!
But then, it is good to get out and back to the sun, does not set anymore. To get back to the endless snow plains, to our beloved east coast, where the sea does still freeze in April, where you can find beautiful ice …
- gallery anchor link: #gallery_1371
Click on thumbnail to open an enlarged version of the specific photo.
Talking about fjord ice: a Russian group made a tragic experience with fjord ice in Tempelfjord in late April, when their snow mobiles broke through the ice. Several people went into the water and could only be saved under dramatic circumstances by the Norwegian SAR forces. Tragically, one guide died later in the hospital.
News-Listing live generated at 2024/October/11 at 21:43:51 Uhr (GMT+1)
-
Books, Calendar, Postcards and more
-
