Svalbard

• 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.