Tag Archives: Norwegian Polar Institute
Cue the climate change skeptics: Census of Svalbard’s polar bear population shows large increase since 2004
In the spirit of Christmas, some good news about Svalbard’s healthy and growing polar bear population is likely to bring joy to climate change alarmists and denalists alike.
A census at this summer by the Norwegian Polar Institute indicates there are about 975 polar bears in the Norwegian region of the Barents Sea, up from about 685 during the last census in 2004, despite several years with poor sea ice cover during the intervening period.
Fear failure: Terrorist attacks won’t alter regional scientists’ plans for UN climate summit in Paris
Three top officials at the Norwegian Polar Institute scheduled to attend the two-week climate summit in France starting Nov. 30 have no plans to cancel or alter their plans after last week’s terrorist attacks, according to Director Jan-Gunnar Winther.
Briefs from Svalbardposten for the week of Sept. 13, 2015
Rain puts cabins, research facility at risk of collapse
A trio of cabins in Longyearbyen and the Gruvebadet building in Ny-Ålesund are facing major structural threats due to heavy rains earlier this month.
Briefs from Svalbardposten for the week of Aug. 18, 2015
Russia: We didn’t reject bear census; we need more time
Russia is denying it has rejected granting researchers access to its territory for a joint Russian-Norwegian census of polar bears in the Barents Sea region, instead arguing Russia’s legislature needs sufficient time to evaluate the project.
A bear of a census: first count of polar bears in 11 years underway despite difficulties
For those who consider census takers invasive because they ask all that personal stuff, at least they don’t shoot you with tranquilizers and implant transmitters (unless the tinfoil-hat brigade is smarter than we all realized).
Briefs from Svalbardposten for the week of Aug. 4, 2015
There will be a discussion about ‘neger’ names, after all
Now that it’s gotten worldwide attention, a discussion about whether Svalbard has three locations with racist names is planned this fall by the Norwegian Polar Institute’s naming committee.
Briefs from Svalbardposten for the week of July 21, 2015
Russia’s inaction nixes joint polar bear census w/ Norway
A joint Norwegian-Russian census of polar bears in the Barents Sea area, the first such count since 2004, has been cancelled after Russia failed to grant authorization for researchers to access its territory in time for the count.
Briefs from Svalbardposten for the week of July 7, 2015
Reindeer population down in Adventdalen, but still high
Adventdalen’s reindeer population declined slightly from last year’s record numbers, but is still higher than researchers expected and confirms a trend toward larger herds, according to two independent counts.
Svalbard’s glaucous gull population drops sharply; scientists seek higher Red List status for species
It might seeem hard to believe with thousands of them breeding in colonies throughout Svalbard, but one of the area’s most important seabird species needs to be officially listed as threatened due to decades of population decline that is accelerating at an alarming rate, according to researchers.
Cracking down: Lance ends six-month expedition on thin ice as scientists save gear while floe shatters
They spent their final days working feverishly on rapidly vanishing sea ice that threatened to break up and swallow their equipment. But Amelie Meyer said the challenge was nothing like the extreme conditions during the project’s first days nearly six months ago.
