News Archive

3 August 2020 Special conditions and few available observations provide extra challenges when forecasting weather in the northern regions. How do researchers work with improving weather forecasts in the Arctic?

27 July 2020 Most of us have in recent months experienced that life has changed, with perhaps isolation and quarantine, which can feel traumatic. At UNIS, all undergraduate students were encouraged to go home, teaching switched from on-campus to digital teaching and courses were cancelled. For a long time, all entry to Svalbard was closed. But some creatures keep on travelling, whether they want to or not. Others, once again, experience a more severe isolation than being stuck on an island for months.

20 July 2020 A muscle in the development of Arctic technology at UNIS has been the Centre for research-based innovation (SFI) Sustainable Arctic Marine and Coastal Technology (SAMCoT).

9 July 2020 What are those weird things in Bjørndalen? The Arctic Biology Department at UNIS has co-located many research and education projects in Bjørndalen with the aim of building a "field laboratory".

7 July 2020 It has been hot, very hot, in the fjords of Svalbard since 2006. But over the past year we have seen a cooling down. More cold and fresh Arctic water has followed the coastal flow along the west coast and inflow of warm Atlantic water has slowed down, as low autumn and winter temperatures have cooled the fjords so that sea ice has formed again.

26 June 2020 Frozen marine deposits which are widely distributed in the fjord-valleys in Svalbard are particularly vulnerable to thawing under present and future climate conditions. This spring several piles were set up on the plain east of UNIS. These will contribute to more knowledge about permafrost thawing in Svalbard.

16 June 2020 Since the gradual reopening of UNIS, we have managed to carry out fieldwork for important research projects and projects that have time series measurements that are essential to maintain.  

8 June 2020 June 8 is World Oceans Day and in commemoration of this we focus on the Nansen Legacy project and UNIS activities within the project in 2019.

5 June 2020 Happy World Environment Day! UNIS/UiO/NCCS PhD candidate Peter Betlem is exploring Svalbard for carbon capture, utilization, and storage potential.

4 June 2020 In February this year there was a tragic avalanche accident on Fridtjovbreen, where two people perished. Now the accident report has been published, penned by the Arctic Safety Centre at UNIS.