SVALBARD Flashcards
Where is Svalbard located?
Norwegian territory located in the Artic ocean ( around 80N)
it is the most northerly inhabited territories
Population of Svalbard
2700
How much of the land in Svalbard is covered in Glaciers?
60%
What are the opportunities for development in Svalbard?
Mining
tourism
fishing
energy development
What is the effect of mining in Svalbard?
rich reserves of coal, main economic activity in Svalbard with it providing 300 jobs
However, its environmentally controversial and a new mine opening in 2014 near Svea causes majority of other coal mines to close due to the price dropping
What is the effect of Energy development in Svalbard ?
Longyearbyen coal-fired power station supplies all of Svalbard’s energy
Svalbard may be able to harness geo-thermal energy from the mid-atlantic ridge (constructive plate margin)
What is the effect of Fishing in Svalbard?
Artic waters of the Barents Sea are rich fishing grounds (150 species) including cod, haddock and herring.
Fishing has the opportunity to become a major economic activity by trading with other countries
Fishing is being carefully controlled and monitored to ensure sustainability and to prevent over-abstraction
What is the effect of tourism in Svalbard?
Provides as many jobs as mining
people choose to visit due to wildlife, glacier walks, northern lights
in 2011, 70,000 people visited Longyearbyen with 30,000 being from cruises
What are some challenges for development in Svalbard?
Extreme temperatures
Construction
Accessibility
Services
What is the effect of extreme temperatures for development in Svalbard?
Svalbard deals with Polar nights for 4 months (no sunlight)
Daylight hours are very short
Winter temperatures can fall to -30C meaning several layers of clothing is needed which slows work down ]
Extreme temperatures mean food cannot grow so Svalbard had to relay on importing from other areas.
Warming climate has lead to 10% of Longyearbyen’s population to evacuate due to the risk of avalanches.
What is the effect of construction for development in Svalbard?
due to climate change, the permafrost has began to thaw so houses have began to sink. Lack of foundations are causing damage to houses
Most building, construction and maintenance happens during the brief summer Svalbard has.
All pipes have to be raised above ground to prevent freezing and water has to be heated to prevent it freezing before entering homes
What is the effect of accessibility for development in Svalbard?
Only 50km of road in Longyearbyen, no other communities are connected by roads.
Svalbard can only be reached by planes or boats (boats is difficult during winter due to sea ice) this means limiting the amount of goods to and from Svalbard and makes it difficult for residents who need to leave for healthcare.
Only way to travel to other communities is by boat (in summer) or snowmobiles (in winter). Snowmobiles can run the risk of ruining the environment from off-roading
Geological nature of Svalbard: Mountains, glaciers, snow and fjords make areas completely inaccessible
