International polar bear cooperation

7 December 2020

Concern for the population Cooperation on the conservation of…

Where do polar bears den?

7 December 2020

The cubs are small and hairless at birth, and would quickly freeze…

person med gevær i hånda speider utover havet

When humans meet polar bears in Svalbard

3 December 2020

Confrontations with polar bears The polar bear is a dangerous…

When scientists head into the polar bear’s realm

3 December 2020

Polar bears are not stressed by a vessel lying at rest. They…

We follow the polar bear step-by-step

3 December 2020

At the end of the 19th century, a more intensive winter hunt…

Two months in the drift ice

18 August 2020

The beginning of their journey was no easy task, in these…

Spring is in the air! (or at least in the water)

11 June 2020

By Allison Bailey, Ane Cecilie Kvernvik, Philipp Assmy, Anette…

Work ongoing on the largest Arctic expedition or Life in the dark and cold or What’s going on at the North Pole?

6 March 2020

MOSAiC is based on the German research icebreaker Polarstern,…

The East Greenland Current: a conveyor of Arctic climate change

16 September 2019

We recovered 6 of our moorings with instruments full of new…

The hunt for climate answers in Fram Strait

10 September 2019

At this time of the year, the sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is…

The Arctic is warming three times as fast and the global average. This is mainly because melting of snow and ice exposes a darker surface and increases the amount of solar energy absorbed in these areas (albedo effect). This significant regional warming leads to continued loss of sea ice, melting of glaciers and of the Greenland ice cap.

Arctic ecosystems in fresh water

The lake ecosystems in Svalbard are largely characterised by low precipitation, thick, clear ice (1.5–2 m), a brief ice-free period (1–2 months), relatively low water temperatures in summer (up to 6–7°C), low nutrient input, low primary production, low biodiversity, with Arctic char as the only fish species.