Do polar bears live in Svalbard?

Do polar bears live in Svalbard?

Polar bears can be encountered anywhere in Svalbard in the summer, along the beaches, in the valleys and up on the glaciers. In winter, of course, the sea ice is a favourite of the bears, especially areas with fast ice with good habitats for ringed seals.

Where is the Norwegian Polar Institute?

Svalbard
The main office of the Norwegian Polar Institute in Svalbard is located in Longyearbyen and is an important base for research projects.

Are there polar bears in Norway?

The Svalbard Archipelago, situated in the Arctic Ocean north of mainland Norway, is one of the few places in the world where you can see polar bears in the wild. Overall, there are approximately 20,000-26,000 polar bears left in the world, the biggest populations being found in Canada, Alaska, Greenland and Russia.

Why is Svalbard a fantastic place?

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.

How common are polar bears in Svalbard?

The polar bear population in the Svalbard archipelago and Barents Sea is around 3,000, which exceeds the human population.

Can you hunt polar bears in Svalbard?

Russian trappers built trapping stations all over the archipelago, usually as single cabins operating both in summer and winter. There are no polar bear hunting statistics from the period of Russian activity on Svalbard, but it must have been profitable, considering it lasted for more than 100 years, until 1853.

How long is the polar night in Svalbard?

We refer to the dark season in Svalbard as the “Polar Night”. This two-and-a-half-month period lasts from mid-November to late January. The sun is at least 6 degrees below the horizon during this period and it’s pitch-dark 24/7.

Why is Svalbard an impossible place?

Svalbard is cold and a dry arctic desert. Its northern location influences the amount of solar radiation it receives and is the main reason for its low temperatures. The curvature of the Earth means that the solar radiation received nearer the poles must heat a larger area than it would nearer the Equator.

Why are there no trees in Svalbard?

There are no trees in Svalbard Due to the short summers and long, cold, dark winters it is not possible for trees to grow. The plants that do grow there rarely reach more than 10cm in height and grow at a slow speed.

How long is the Polar Night in Svalbard?

Are there polar bears in Svalbard?

There are polar bears that live in Svalbard all year round (local polar bears) and polar bears that migrate between the sea ice edge where they hunt and the islands where they go to den (pelagic polar bears). Local bears in Svalbard do not face such big challenges in finding a denning area.

Where can I find topographic maps for Svalbard?

TopoSvalbard is a topographical map portal for Svalbard. It shows detailed topography and place names in addition to aerial photos and 3D view. Find and order printed maps in the store. Geodata offers a selection of map service and basemap datasets.

What is the difference between svalbardkartet and barentsportal?

Svalbardkartet is an interactive themed atlas of Svalbard supplemented with a rich dataset of environmental data layered on top of a detailed topographical base-map. Barentsportal is a thematic map of the Barents region.

What is the difference between topojanmayen and svalbardkartet?

Images may be orded. TopoJanMayen is topographical map portal for Jan Mayen. it shows detailed topography and place names. Svalbardkartet is an interactive themed atlas of Svalbard supplemented with a rich dataset of environmental data layered on top of a detailed topographical base-map.