Spectacular find could rewrite polar bear history
17 December 2007
In 2004 a group of UNIS geology students found an ancient polar bear jawbone at Svalbard. Now it turns out that this find could confirm that polar bear as a species has already survived one interglacial period, bringing hope that the first and foremost Arctic symbol can – in fact – also survive the current warming climate.
The dynamics of Svalbard glaciers
31 October 2007
Calving and surging glaciers play a major role in delivering land ice to Arctic waters. Changes in calving frequency might impact sea transport, fisheries and oil exploration in the Arctic. However, these changes are poorly understood. A new PhD project at UNIS aims at increasing the understanding of glacier changes in a shifting climate.
James Lovelock: Earth is setting the agenda for climate change
25 October 2007
– The Earth, not people, is setting the agenda regarding climate change. We need to prepare for a warmer climate, because it will be a reality, Dr. James Lovelock said at a special seminar about climate change at UNIS yesterday.
Frontier work at Mediumfjellet
12 October 2007
Tine, Nancy and Pierre spent a month 450 meters up on a mountain top to collect new geological data. All in all, your average student summer camp? Not quite, as their work will result in geological maps to be redrawn!
PhD defense on First-year sea ice
5 October 2007
Civil engineer Svetlana Shafrova will defend her PhD thesis ”First-year sea ice features: Investigation of ice field strength heterogeneity and modeling of ice rubble behaviour” at UNIS on Friday, 12 October 2007.
CO2 free Svalbard under way
1 October 2007
The vision of a CO2-free Svalbard by 2025 is becoming a reality. Last week the first trial drilling for finding the best CO2 depository sediments started. This study will be implemented in the UNIS course portfolio next year.
Consequences of tooth wear in reindeer
19 September 2007
Age related tooth wear has significant consequences for digestive processes and energy gain in Svalbard reindeer, concludes UNIS PhD candidate Vebjørn Veiberg in his thesis. He will be defending his thesis on patterns, causes and consequences of tooth wear of the Svalbard reindeer on 21 September 2007 at the University of Oslo.
UNIS and AWI sign cooperative agreement
3 September 2007
In connection with the visit of the Norwegian and German foreign ministers to Svalbard last week, UNIS and the German research organization Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in Polar sciences.
Fencing in on climate issues
12 July 2007
Climate change may bring more snow in the winter on Svalbard. Can the plants that thrive in the current harsh Arctic climate survive such a development? UNIS biologist Elisabeth Cooper hopes to find the answer – with the help of snow fences.