Welcome to Svalbardseminaret 2019
21 December 2018
The annual happening Svalbardseminaret (Svalbard Seminar Series) is organized by UNIS in collaboration with the Norwegian Polar Institute and the Governor of Svalbard. The 2019 seminar series starts on 15 January and offers lectures in polar history, research, and search and rescue in the Arctic.
Merry Christmas from UNIS
21 December 2018
We would like to wish all previous and future students, our collaborating partners, our neighbors in Longyearbyen, Barentsburg, Hornsund and Ny-Ålesund and all university people worldwide a merry Christmas and a happy new year! We look forward to 2019!
Dialogue Café: Communication between science and Longyearbyen local community
3 December 2018
On Thursday 6 December we invite the public to an open dialogue café where scientists and local actors discuss societal challenges and possibilities in the ongoing climate change. The dialogue café will take place in “Møysalen” at UNIS 15:30–18:00.
Holocene glacier history of Svalbard: Retracing the style of (de-)glaciation
27 November 2018
UNIS PhD candidate Wesley Farnsworth has studied the Holocene glacial history of Svalbard through detailed mapping and compiling a mosaic of data from terrestrial, marine and lacustrine sedimentary archives. Farnsworth will defend his doctoral thesis on 6 December at the University Centre in Svalbard, UNIS.
Understanding better fundamental mechanisms of rock fracture by blasting
14 November 2018
UNIS PhD candidate Liyuan Chi has investigated the shock compression of rock in the vicinity of an exploding charge and rock fracturing on a free surface parallel to the blast hole. Chi will defend his PhD thesis at NTNU on Wednesday 21 November at 13:15.
Extended application deadline – Bachelor and Master/PhD courses spring 2019
8 November 2018
Would you like to study in Svalbard next spring? We have extended application deadline for some courses in Arctic Biology, Arctic Geophysics, and Arctic Technology. Apply now – first come, first serve!
Stories from Rijpfjorden 5: On the way in (and out) of Rijpfjorden
5 November 2018
When Captain Albertsen from Tromsø slowly sailed into Rijpfjorden on 3 September 1945 to pick up the last of armed German soldiers in Europe, he had no idea of what was expecting him. Perhaps the fjord was full of fissured and half-melted drift ice as he headed south to the inner part of Rijpfjorden. That was the sight I met the first time I was in Rijpfjorden in September 2004. At that time I did not know how important Rijpfjorden would turn out to be for me, both as a researcher and as an individual.
Stories from Rijpfjorden 4: On mine kibbles, sea ice and food chains
2 November 2018
Sea ice and snow reflect and absorb effectively up to 99% of all light, which in turn helps regulate the start and length of the algal bloom in the ocean below. This usually results in short and intense blooms when the sea ice melts. Arctic species show adaptations to such a production regime, usually because they are able to eat and put on a lot of weight in the short periods where there is food access, and then live on stored fat in meager times. But what’s that got to do with the kibble used for coal transportation in Longyearbyen in the past?
Stories from Rijpfjorden 3: Monster!
30 October 2018
Fortunately, it is no bigger than 5–6 cm; otherwise it would have been a really scary sight. It is found mostly throughout the whole Arctic, and is a species we count as an indicator of cold water masses. And for all the smaller organisms, such as Calanus finmarchicus and Calanus glacialis, it is a ferocious monster!