Here it is at last! The official report from the Interdisciplinary Polar Studies (IPS-2023) Modular Meeting: Arctic Amplification–Glaciers–Environment, which took place over six days at the end of August and the beginning of September last year in Svalbard. Fancy reading it? Click here. The event was organized by the Centre…
Plastic pollution is an increasingly serious problem in the Arctic, where it exerts a damaging effect on the ecosystem already struggling under climate change. Luckily, it’s not only the amount of mismanaged plastic waste that has been on the rise over the last few decades. It’s also the amount of…
We’ve got it! Another grant from Svalbard Environmental Protection Fund, which means another season in Svalbard, another exciting challenge and another amazing Arctic adventure. Twice a year, Svalbard Environmental Protection Fund allocates funds for the execution of projects that benefit the natural environment and cultural heritage of Svalbard. The fund’s revenue…
When we think of an oasis, the first image that comes to mind is usually that of a lush green area amidst the endless sands of a desert, with camels quenching their thirst at a spring and caravan drivers dozing in the shade. Oases provide refuge from the heat and…
As aptly pointed out by the Polish Nobel prize-winning poet Wisława Szymborska, humanity has adopted a number of aesthetic and moral resolutions with regard to nature. And while those of a moral kind are slowly being retracted, the aesthetic ones prove a lot harder to eliminate. The comment was made…
Even a child knows that poles are the points at the Earth’s very top and very bottom. The thing is, though, that the Earth is spherical and spheres, by definition, do not have tops or bottoms. Besides, a closer inspection makes it quite clear that there are no fewer than…
With the end of March upon us, spring is already in full swing. Unless, that is, you happen to be in Svalbard, which is still white, empty and downright wintry. The islands will finally come to life when the peace and quiet of polar winter gives way to the commotion…
It’s no mean feat to survive in the Arctic. There are some, however, who have brought the skill to perfection. In the course of evolution, northern species have developed a whole range of ingenious mechanisms and abilities, which help them thrive despite the cold and the dark. The adaptational virtuosity…
Seas and oceans have served humanity as rubbish dumps for hundreds of years, but initially it wasn’t much of a problem. As recently as at the end of the 18th century, there were merely 1.5 billion of us and the majority of rubbish we generated was made of natural materials,…
It’s been two months since – after four weeks of grappling with beach litter, bad weather and our own weaknesses – we reached the end of this year’s round of fieldwork, conducted as part of Sørkapp Marine Litter Cleanup project. Much against our better judgement, we did not immediately go…