More than 10.000 marine species live in the European oceans. But there is no comprehensive pattern of relationship between latitude and marine fauna biodiversity. More coordinated research efforts are needed to fully understand the marine biodiversity and develop proper management mechanisms, according to a recently published paper.
Read more

RCN has awarded 10 million NOK annually over the next eight years to a new center for research-based innovation in which UNIS is a vital partner. – This center will make UNIS a stronger scientific node in the coming years, says UNIS director Gunnar Sand.
Read more

The RENU rocket was launched in the early morning hours of December 12, just before the two-week launch window was over.
– We are satisfied with the campaign and look forward to analyze the data collected during the rocket flight, says professor Fred Sigernes, head of the UNIS aurora observatory (KHO).
Read more

Ph.D. candidate Fabrice Caline built a 50 meter long breakwater in Svea to study the action of sea ice on coastal infrastructures.

Caline will defend his Ph.D. thesis on December 10 at UNIS.


Read more

These days the aurora scientists at UNIS are busy preparing for a rocket campaign. The rocket will fly into the magnetic cusp, above the aurora that appears over Svalbard during daytime. Its mission is to collect data on the state of the atmosphere during a dayside aurora outburst. Now they just await the optimal launch conditions.
Read more

The students attending the UNIS course “Polar Magnetospheric Substorms” hit jackpot during their fieldwork the other week. The Aurora Borealis put on a spectacular sky show for the students, who are at UNIS to learn more about the northern lights.

Read more

The Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS) is now underway. The EU has funded 4 million Euros for the preparatory phase, which officially kicked off in October. UNIS is one of the key partners in this project, in charge of the future SIOS Knowledge centre.
Read more

UNIS biologists have had a strong focus on rare plant species during field work over the last few years. The increased knowledge has resulted in several changes in the red list status for vascular plants in Svalbard.

Read more

The fossils known from Svalbard are of world class in many respects. In November UNIS offers a 5 ECTS course in Svalbard’s fossil history, with Jørn Hurum as one of the main lecturers. The course is open to all.

Read more

Svalbard plants have precious little time to grow and reproduce during the short and cold summer season. Survival strategies include color, as colorful flowers are believed to be warmer and be more attractive to insects to secure pollination. But how come is 48 % of the Svalbard flora white? A Ph.D. project aims at finding the answer.
Read more

UNIS staff will visit Norwegian universities to inform about our course portfolio and application process:

University of Life Sciences (UMB): 22. September;

University of Oslo: 23. September; NTNU: 28. September; University of Tromsø: 7. October.
Read more

UNIS offers 20 courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level in spring 2011. You can now apply for these courses on-line. More information about our course offerings and application procedure is found on the Studies introduction webpage.
The application deadline is 15. October 2010.
Read more

UNIS Professor Doug Benn has just published the second edition of his book “Glaciers and Glaciation”. The updated version features a lot of information about the glaciers of Svalbard.

Read more

New research reveals that reduced sea ice coverage in the Arctic will have large consequences for the algae bloom. As key marine species rely on this blooming, any changes in the timing of this event can have huge consequences for the whole marine ecosystem.

Read more

Three action packed weeks are over for the 25 students attending the IPY Field School. Yesterday they concluded the course with an exam and poster presentations. - It has been an absolutely great experience, says Hannah Katzensteiner from Austria.

Read more

In March, Professor Aleksey Marchenko deployed six buoys on drifting sea ice in the Olga Strait. Three months later one of them came home to Longyearbyen. The signals sent from the buoys provide data about sea ice drift speed which is important information for companies working on offshore development in the Barents Sea.
Read more

The second IPY field school is well underway, and like last year you can read about the field school students’ experiences in Svalbard. There is a lot of science, but also a lot of social activities for the 25 students from 13 countries.

Read more

Summer is here and the about 165 plant species and over 1000 invertebrate species are in full activity. If you stumble over a flower or an insect you don’t recognize, there are two websites that can help you in identifying your find: Svalbardflora.net and SPIDER.
Read more

UNIS is partner in two new Nordic Centres of Excellence, funded within the NordForsk Top-Level Research Initiative’s sub-programme Interaction between Climate Change and the Cryosphere.

Read more

The Third European Conference on Permafrost is over. Data from many of the permafrost research projects performed during the IPY have been presented the conclusion is clear: the permafrost in the High Arctic is warming and Svalbard has the warmest permafrost.
Read more

For the first time the European Permafrost Conference will be taking place on permafrost. Over 250 delegates will convene at UNIS June 13-17 to discuss the latest results from the many IPY research projects on permafrost.
Read more

The year 2009 was a year of restructuring at UNIS. Cost-saving measures were implemented in a host of areas and reductions were made to both the course portfolio and staffing levels. These measured have worked, and UNIS ended the year 2009 with a surplus of NOK 1.7 million and strengthened shareholder capital.
Read the UNIS annual report (Pdf)

About 60 million years ago a pantodont was walking along a Svalbard sea shore. The fossil footprints of this mammal were discovered in 2006, the first discovery of fossil mammal tracks on Spitsbergen. Now these tracks have gotten a formal name: Thulitheripus svalbardii.

Read more

Study of modern processes operating in a glacier-river-lake system helps reconstruct past climate from lake sediments. U.S. and UNIS students and researchers work together in the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programme.
Read more

Former UNIS professor Rolf Langvatn received the King’s Medal of Merit in silver on April 26. Professor emeritus Langvatn received the medal in connection to his research work at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) and the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS).
Read more

As long as humans have been present on Svalbard, encounters with polar bears have occurred. In a finished master project, Margrete Keyser has analyzed the human – polar bear relationship on Svalbard, with a focus on tourists. She reports findings that indicate a decrease in human-polar bear confrontations.
Read more

UNIS is looking for candidates to operate the UNIS cafeteria from August 2010. UNIS will have an information meeting for interested parties on April 29. Deadline for submitting an application is May 14.

Read more

The Arctic Geology department can offer master projects within the field of natural hazard risk for cultural heritage in Svalbard.

Application deadline is May 7, 2010.

Read more

The Arctic Biology department at UNIS has several master projects and an internship position for a Russian national available in Svalbard.

Application deadline for master projects: June 1, 2010.

Read more

UNIS offers in total 19 courses in the autumn semester 2010 at the undergraduate and graduate level in the four disciplines Arctic biology, geology, geophysics and technology.

Application deadline for autumn semester 2010 is 15. April.

Read more

The SUbsurface CO2 Storage – Critical Elements and Superior Strategy (SUCCESS) centre opened yesterday. UNIS and the Longyearbyen CO2 lab is a partner in this centre. - The CO2 lab’s part in this centre is a vital part to create a mutual meeting place for theoretical research and practical exercises, says UNIS professor Alvar Braathen.
Read more

Surprisingly high nitrous oxide (N2O) production rates based on incubated permafrost samples are reported in an article in Nature Geoscience. The results are based on permafrost cores collected in Greenland and Svalbard as part of the IPY UNIS course AG-333 in 2008. Read more

New underwater robot technology was tested in Svalbard this winter with amazing results. With these robots, the scientists from UNIS, NTNU and CalPoly University have discovered that the Arctic Ocean is teeming with activity during the Polar night, which will have major consequences for future management policies in the High North.

Read more

UNIS announces Ph.D. positions within geology (marine geology and CO2 storage) and geophysics (snow and ice physics). In addition there is a vacant Post Doc position with focus on CO2 storage. Application deadlines: March 25 and April 6, 2010.

Read more

Despite the harsh winter, the population of Svalbard reindeer seems to be in relatively good condition, at least compared to the catastrophic winter of 2007-08 according to fieldwork observations in February.

Read more

The Nordic Environmental Chemistry Conference (NECC) opens today at UNIS. About 140 delegates will convene to explore and develop networks among environmental scientists within the Nordic countries. It is the first time this conference is taking place in Svalbard.

Read more

Observations of airglow and meteors above Svalbard reveal important information about the weather- and climate changes in the upper part of the atmosphere, according to Margit Dyrland’s Ph.D. research. Dyrland will defend her thesis at UNIS on Thursday February 25.

Read more

The success from last year continues and today the application web opened for the second IPY Field School at UNIS, which will be arranged from June 21 through July 9. Undergraduate and early graduate level students can apply for admission. Application deadline is April 8, 2010.

Read more

Climate-related emissions in Svalbard are increasing, according to a new report. New data show that the major sources of emissions are coal-based energy production and ship traffic in and around the archipelago.

Read more

UNIS offers three graduate/Ph.D.-courses (10 ECTS) in Arctic Biology this spring and summer. The application deadline is February 15, 2010.

Read more

How much pesticide have you used to kill termites at your home in Longyearbyen? While this question might seem silly, the fact is that several types of pesticides are found in Svalbard. But why? Scientists from UNIS and NPI have investigated the matter and found an answer.

Read more

The Jan Christensen endowment for Norwegian students and staff at UNIS has a number of stipends available.
Application deadline is February 1, 2010.

Read more

The polar bear jawbone discovered at Prins Karls Forland during a UNIS course excursion in 2004, is now confirmed to be the oldest remains of a polar bear ever found. Dating of the Svalbard fossil suggests it is between 130-110 000 years old.

Read more