If ice and geographical oddities are your thing, then head for Svalbard. And if you鈥檙e an expert marksman, even better. It鈥檚 an archipelago of four large islands 鈥� the best-known is Spitsbergen 鈥� and many smaller ones, nearly two-thirds of its 63,000 square kilometres are occupied by glaciers. Hence the name: Svalbard means 鈥渃old coast鈥� in Norwegian.
What鈥檚 so strange about Svalbard? Try its legal status. A 1920 treaty granted Norway sovereignty but required it to give treaty signatories economic equality. More than 40 countries signed, including Japan, Italy, Britain, Germany and Russia, and Svalbard is now, unusually, a 鈥渟hared zone鈥�. One of the archipelago鈥檚 main activities is research, some of which will be on show next week at the Polar Environmental Centre in Troms酶.
Atmospheric conditions are perfect for meteorology and atmospheric research 鈥� from tracking volatile organic compounds and CFCs drifting in to investigating the Arctic鈥檚 ozone hole. And Svalbard鈥檚 isolation means clear airwaves and the minimum of seismic noise 鈥� excellent for Svalbard鈥檚 satellite station, and for the Space-Geodetic Observatory, one of a few monitoring Earth鈥檚 shape and size.
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Then there鈥檚 the 24-hour summer day, the Northern Lights and those magnificent glaciers, plus three national parks, two nature reserves, three plant-protection areas, and 15 bird sanctuaries. The limited number of indigenous species (including the Arctic fox, Svalbard reindeer, a field mouse, and about 30 birds) could help if you鈥檙e studying animals as markers of an ecosystem鈥檚 health.
Fortunately for the scientists, the Gulf Stream gives Svalbard a comparatively balmy climate for an archipelago scattered across latitude 74 to 81掳 North. Though the mean July temperature is a mere 5.8 掳C, it only falls to 鈭�15.3 掳C in January. It鈥檚 accessible too: two hours by plane from Troms酶.
Most researchers work around Ny 脜lesund on Spitsbergen. The Norwegian Polar Institute has a research station there, which hosts international collaborative efforts at the Large-Scale Facility for Arctic Environmental Research. There you鈥檒l hear Slovenian, Japanese, French, Italian, Spanish, German and English accents, among others.
Longyearbyen, Svalbard鈥檚 鈥渃apital鈥�, is home to the UNIS campus, with degrees in Arctic geology, biology, geophysics and technology. It boasts hotels, bars and restaurants. Luxury.
Poland has a base at Hornsund, south of Longyearbyen, where scientists are studying seismic activity, tectonics and crustal structure. The Chinese, new arrivals this summer, are using Longyearbyen for their first Arctic research station, where they plan to compare Svarlbard鈥檚 ecology with the Tibetan plateau.
And the marksmanship? The rule is that no one should stray outside a settlement without 鈥渁 suitable gun and experience in using it鈥�, in case you chance upon one of the archipelago鈥檚 several thousand polar bears. Forget cuts. Shoot for the shoulder.