svalbard

• Svalbard


  A Norwegian territory located between Norway and the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean, one of the most northerly groups of inhabited islands in the world
• Svalbard has a population of around 2,700
• Svalbard's climate


  • Temperatures rarely exceed 10°C even in summer, can fall below -20°C in winter, average summer temperatures 3 to 7°C, average winter temperatures -13 to -20°C
• Glaciers cover around 60% of the land in Svalbard, and the terrain elsewhere is barren rock or tundra
• Trees cannot grow in Svalbard and there is no arable farming
• Adaptations of people living in Svalbard

  • They have had to adapt to the adverse living conditions of the cold environment in many ways
• Developments in Svalbard


  • Mineral extraction
  • Energy
  • Fishing
  • Tourism
• Challenges to development in Svalbard

  • Extreme cold temperatures
  • Inaccessibility to areas
  • Provision of buildings and infrastructure
• Mineral extraction

  Svalbard has large coal reserves that have been extracted in coal mines throughout the 20th century, providing over 300 jobs, but most mines have stopped activity due to a drop in the price of coal
• Energy developments


  The majority of Svalbard's energy is generated from burning coal, but with coal operations ending, Svalbard is looking into new opportunities for energy development including geothermal energy
• Fishing in Svalbard


  • The Arctic seas surrounding Svalbard are rich in marine life, especially the Barents sea which has over 150 species of fish including large numbers of cod, herring and haddock, providing the opportunity for fishing to be a major economic activity
• Tourism in Svalbard

  Extreme tourism has grown popular, with people visiting for the unique wildlife, glacier walks, views of the northern lights and extreme activities, with 70,000 people visiting Longyearbyen in 2011, 30,000 of them cruise passengers, and 300 people having jobs in this sector
• Extreme temperatures in Svalbard

  • Winter temperatures frequently fall below -20°C, with temperatures in Longyearbyen sometimes below -30°C, and very short daylight hours in winter, making day to day life challenging and making growing food almost impossible
• Accessibility challenges in Svalbard

  • International travel to Svalbard is limited to Longyearbyen, either by plane or boat, which is difficult in winter due to sea ice, and transport around Svalbard is equally difficult with only 50km of road in Longyearbyen and no other communities connected by roads, requiring travel by boat in summer or snowmobile in winter, with many areas completely inaccessible
• Construction and infrastructure challenges in Svalbard

  • The ground is mainly permafrost which has provided solid foundations, but the warming climate is causing the permafrost to thaw, making the ground unstable and causing houses to sink and become damaged, and the extreme climate makes providing utilities like water and sewage a challenge