News Archive

18 January 2021 PhD candidate Katie Herlingshaw has studied high velocity flow channels in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. In her thesis, a global network of radars is used together with optical measurements to investigate the properties of fast flow channels in Earth’s polar cap regions. Katie will defend her PhD thesis entitled ‘Characterising Mesoscale Fast Flow Channels in the Polar Cap Ionosphere’ on 22 January 2021 at 13:00.

14 January 2021 The annual seminar series Svalbardseminaret starts on Tuesday 19 January and runs twice a week until 4 February. Note that all lectures are only given digitally.

13 January 2021 Based on the current Covid-19 national regulations and on direct advice from the infection control doctor at the Longyearbyen Hospital, UNIS has decided that all teaching shall be digital throughout the month of January. This decision might be extended depending on the national and local infection control rules.

29 December 2020 In Svalbard, we can observe the northern lights (Aurora borealis) both at night and during the day through the polar night. There is a difference between the aurora observed at night and what we observe during the day. The nightside aurora are dominated by green northern lights, while the dayside aurora are dominated by red lights.

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 2021! The UNIS reception will be closed from 23 December through 3 January. Normal opening hours (08:00–15:30) […]

21 December 2020 The Research Council of Norway (RCN) has granted NOK 12 million to the Arctic Safety Centre project "Risk governance, early warning and climate change adaptation in the Arctic”, to develop better knowledge about assessment, monitoring and management of a comprehensive risk picture that is changing as a result of climate change.

18 December 2020 A new UNIS strategical project will develop knowledge on the impacts of permafrost degradation, due to climate change, on nature and society in the Arctic using Longyearbyen as the key study site. The observing system will help both local authorities in Svalbard in planning but will also be a tool for other Arctic settlements in local decision making.

1 December 2020 The Arctic is one of the harshest places on the planet yet is home to an amazing array of wildlife. Yet it is not the polar bear that rules this frozen kingdom, but rather the tiny, tiny plankton!

26 November 2020 An English version of the accident report on the tragic avalanche accident on Fridtjovbreen in February 2020, has now been published.

23 November 2020 Last week the new UNIS belt wagon finally arrived in Longyearbyen after being “corona-stuck” for eight months in Sweden. It is custom made for UNIS but is also a contribution to the local emergency preparedness infrastructure.