Svalbard

Cards (13)

  • Svalbard's location:
    • In the Northern hemisphere
    • A part of Norweigan territory
    • Made up of 5 islands (called an archipeligo)
    • Most northernly permanently inhabited place on earth
  • Opportunities for development in Svalbard:
    • Mineral extraction - coal mining is vital to the Svalbard economy, but prices are dropping.
    • Energy development - Svalbard is on a plate boundary where the crust is thin & the magma is close.
    • Fishing - the Barents Sea has over 150 species of fish, the sea is jointly controlled to ensure sustainability.
    • Tourism - it can provide around 300 jobs for local people, & there are a variety of things to do.
  • Tourists would visit Svalbard for:
    • Polar bear wathving
    • Fjord watching
    • The Northern Lights
    • Glaciers
    • Hiking/kayaking
    • Skiing/snow mobiles
  • Main challenges to development in Svalbard:
    • Darkness
    • Cold weather
    • Roads
    • Permafrost
  • Challenges in Svalbard, Darkness:
    • Darkness from 25th of October to 8th of March
  • Challenges in Svalbard, permafrost:
    • Melting permafrost (frozen soil) can cause buildings to tip & fall
    • Outdoor work is slow, difficult & can lead to frost bite
    • Construction work is difficult & cannot happen in winter
  • Challenges in Svalbard, cold weather:
    • Winter temps of -30 degrees
    • Outdoor work is slow, difficult & can lead to frost bite
    • Construction work is difficult & cannot happen in winter
    • Building & maintaining roads is difficult due to freezing cracking
    • Difficult to provide reliable essential services, e.g. water & elec
  • Challenges in Svalbard, roads/access:
    • Poor transport links make places inaccessible
    • Gravel roads are only suitable for dogs & sleds, rather than cars
    • Difficult to provide reliable essential services, e.g. water & elec
  • Opportunities:
    • Mineral extraction - supports the economy & provides employment
    • Richest fishing grounds in the world
    • Energy development - geothermal energy
    • Tourism - provides employment & supports the economy
  • Challenges:
    • Restricted accessibility
    • Extreme temps
    • Construction of roads - damage due to cold environment
    • Construction of buildings to support economic development - destruction to local habitats
  • The cold wilderness is particularly fragile due to the low energy, leading to little decomposition.
  • Svalbard has a population of 2700 people.
  • In Svalbard, buildings are wooden due to permafrost.