What is the climate in Svalbard?

What is the climate in Svalbard?

Average summer temperatures on Svalbard range from 3 to 7 °C (37.4 to 44.6 °F) in July, and winter temperatures from −13 to −20 °C (8.6 to −4.0 °F) in January. The highest temperature ever recorded was 23.0 °C (73.4 °F) in July 2020 and the coldest was −46.3 °C (−51.3 °F) in March 1986.

What is Longyearbyen known for?

Top of so many people’s bucket lists, Svalbard is the home of the world’s northernmost… well, pretty much anything. Among many other things, the world’s northernmost full service hotel, liquor store, supermarket, cinema, library, and kebab van can all be found here.

What environment is Svalbard?

Svalbard has permafrost and tundra, with both low, middle and high Arctic vegetation. There have been found 165 species of plants on the archipelago. Only those areas which defrost in the summer have vegetations, which accounts for about 10% of the archipelago.

Does the sea freeze in Longyearbyen?

Longyearbyen lies along a side-fjord called Adventfjorden. Tiny patches of sea ice have formed in shallow waters here, and side fjords have greater potential for ice, but it remains unlikely to be much. Ironically, ice probably will form further south at Van Mijenfjorden thanks to lower sea temperatures.

How is climate change affecting Svalbard?

Warming temperature’s are causing an increase in species migration to and from Svalbard. Some species such as the blue mussel are establishing new populations in Svalbard, while some such as the polar cod are leaving in search of colder water (Descamps et al., 2017).

How warm does it get in Longyearbyen?

The maximum temperature in Longyearbyen tends to fall between 13C and 17C. Before today, it had only once ever reached 20C. That was back on 16 July, 1979, when a temperature of 21.3C was measured. Today, this record was smashed as the temperature soared to 21.7C (71.06F).

Why is it called Longyearbyen?

The town’s name means ‘the Longyear town’ Rather than describing the passage of time in the rugged Spitsbergen terrain, the name is a nod to its founder, an American named John Munro Longyear. Founded in 1906, evidence of Longyearbyen’s mining heritage can be observed throughout the town today.

Is Longyearbyen in the Arctic Circle?

Svalbard (/ˈsvɑːlbɑːr/ SVAHL-bar, Urban East Norwegian: [ˈsvɑ̂ːɫbɑr] ( listen)), also known as Spitsbergen, or Spitzbergen, is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean….

How hot does it get in Longyearbyen?

In Longyearbyen, the summers are short, very cold, and dry; the winters are long, frigid, snowy, and windy; and it is overcast year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 3°F to 47°F and is rarely below -19°F or above 53°F.

How warm does Svalbard get?

In July, the warmest month of the year, the weather in Svalbard is usually quite mild. The average temperature is of 7.4 °C (45 °F), with a minimum of 5.4 °C (41.7 °F) and a maximum of 9.4 °C (49 °F). On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around 2.5 °C (36.5 °F).

What country is Longyearbyen in?

Norway
This visa-free archipelago in Norway is the northernmost year-round settlement in the world, and its capital, Longyearbyen, is home to people from more than 50 countries.

How would you describe Svalbard?

Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. Located on top of the world, it contains endless areas of unspoilt, raw Arctic wilderness. Svalbard consists of all the islands, islets and skerries between 74° and 81° north latitude and 10° and 35° east longitude.

Is Svalbard polar or tundra?

Svalbard has permafrost and tundra, including low, middle, and high Arctic vegetation. One hundred sixty-five species of plants have been found on the archipelago.

What is the coldest town in the world?

Oymyakon
Oymyakon is the coldest permanently-inhabited place on Earth and is found in the Arctic Circle’s Northern Pole of Cold. In 1933, it recorded its lowest temperature of -67.7°C.

Is Svalbard an Arctic desert?

Svalbard is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the North, the sea of Barents to the South and East, and by the sea of Greenland to the West. The name ‘Svalbard’ means ‘the land with the cold coast’ or ‘cold edge’. What is Svalbard like? Svalbard is cold and a dry arctic desert.

What makes Svalbard special?

Svalbard is an arctic desert and the town of Longyearbyen pretty much represents the end of civilization and humanity’s final frontier. Beyond the town’s boundaries, nature reigns with awesome brutality and the icy mountains and fjords are home to nearly 3000 polar bears feeding on fattened seals.