Ny-Ålesund - The Jewel In Norway’s Arctic Crown - Part 1
COMMUNITY / SCIENCE
Writer: Vilborg Einarsdottir
Photographs: Svein Harald Sønderland,
Vilborg Einarsdottir, Espen Blix, Hanne
Karin Tollan
Map: Auður Elisabet Johannsdottir
December 2021
It is the northernmost permanent community on the planet. Whalers first came ashore in early 1600, attracted by vast and accessible coal deposits, but centuries would pass before mining was established. A few decades later that chapter came to a tragic end.
Since the 1960’s Ny-Ålesund has become a distinguished cradle of international Arctic science in fields such as atmospheric physics, biology, geology, glaciology and oceanography. It is a place so close to the North pole that summer nights are bright, winter days dark and weather can be harsh. But it is also home to a very special community and the people of Kings Bay, whose work is to make this all possible.
Vilborg Einarsdottir, editor of JONAA travelled to the town at the ends of the earth in the summer of 2021 to witness what it takes for people to live and work at 79° North. This article is the first of three from that visit: Part 1 - The People of Kings Bay, Part 2 - The Science Community and Part 3 - The History and Cultural Heritage.
JONAA©Vilborg Einarsdottir
Part 1: The People of Kings Bay
It is safe to say that Ny-Ålesund is not a place that one decides to visit and then hops on a plane. For a media visit or probably any non-scientific or even research-related visit to happen, there are application forms to be filled out, good reasons to be given and formal permission to be obtained from Kings Bay AS, the Norwegian State Company that owns, runs, and is responsible for this northernmost permanent civilian settlement. A media visit also needs the approval of the Norwegian Polar Institute, which, since a new strategy was recently implemented, is responsible for the hosting and research coordination at Ny-Ålesund’s research station.
In other words, there is a fair bit of paperwork involved before one can travel for any reason to Ny-Ålesund. Simply put, the place is closed to the general public.
Then, this is year two of Corona with all kinds of complications entailed on travel; Are we red, yellow or green on the world map? Is quarantine 10 days, 5 days, or none? Is Norway even open now? PCR or Rapid Antigen? Will vaccination certificates from Iceland be accepted?
Long story short, it took over a year with massive assistance for me to get all permissions and then hit on a period when all lights were green. But persistence paid off and there are individuals from Kings Bay, The Icelandic Embassy in Oslo, The Office of the Chief Epidemiologist for Iceland and, even Helse Norge, who should stay on my Christmas card list for a long time!
A trip to Ny-Ålesund begins with a flight from Oslo to Longyearbyen, the big town of Svalbard, where some 2400 people live. From there to Ny-Ålesund takes around 30 scenic minutes on a Lufttransport’s 14-seat Dornier, flying over a seemingly endless Arctic, of glaciers, snow, ice and towering mountains as far as the eye can see. And then, colours come into view and the beautiful little town by the shore of Kongsfjorden appears.
After half an hour of seemingly endless white, suddenly there it is! Pretty much all of it. The northernmost permanent community on the planet. A town so calm and colourful on a summer’s day. Some 60 houses, many protected as cultural heritage, holding a long history of hardships and the endurance of men and women seeking their fortune from coal, long before science came about and turned Ny-Ålesund into a prestigious and unique community of international polar science and environmental monitoring. JONAA©Vilborg Einarsdottir
Nowhere further north to go
Standing on the gravel airstrip, looking towards the town, I need a moment to take it all in and truly wrap my head around where in the world I am. The clarity, the silence, and the sheer beauty of mountains and glaciers embracing Ny-Ålesund is breathtaking. I am where there is nowhere further north to go. So to speak. Surely there are a few research stations, in Canada, Russia and Greenland slightly closer to the North Pole, but no town, no community where people live and work the whole year-round.
JONAA©Vilborg Einarsdottir
Meet the man who lives further north than anyone else
Having had the good fortune to work with one foot in the Arctic for the past 25 years, as a producer and an editor, Ny-Ålesund is a name that I’ve heard many times. Most often at conferences on Arctic matters like the Arctic Circle in Reykjavík and the Arctic Frontiers in Tromsø. Each time sensing pride and some privilege, in the voices of scientists mentioning research projects that they have worked on in Ny-Ålesund.
It is also a name often seen on the pages of JONAA, as many of our scientific articles, especially those made in media collaboration with the Fram Centre in Tromsø, originate in Svalbard science and Ny-Ålesund research. From others too, like a recently published article written in JONAA’s media collaboration with SAMS, The Scottish Association for Marine Science.
It was at one such conference, the Arctic Circle in 2019, that the idea came up to visit Ny-Ålesund and write about what it takes to keep this international science community up and running all year round.
One of JONAA’s senior Advisory Board members and Science contributors, Helge H. Markusson, Head of Communications at the Fram Centre introduced me to Kings Bay’s Research adviser Svein Harald Sønderland, with the words: Vilborg, meet the man who lives further north than anyone else’s in the world!
Introductions do not sound much cooler than that! Definitely not to us working in Arctic media. In the conversations that followed, my interest was sparked; to go and see this community and this company that runs the “City of Ny-Ålesund” for the sake of science and international polar research.
A place different to all others
Nearly three years have passed, but here I am. Having coffee on my first evening at 79° North, in the living room of that tiny house with the northernmost postal address on the planet: London 1, 9173 Ny-Ålesund.
The world outside the window just adds to the magic. Some meters away a reindeer rests on the ground, and a little further, by the small Solvatnet lake, a clever little fox with a satellite collar runs for its life from angry, attacking terns, desperately trying to protect their nests and eggs.
I witness such a chase on repeat during my days in Ny-Ålesund, as this time of year terns are nesting and foxes feasting. The Barnacle geese that I seem to run into around every corner, are also on constant fox alert, protecting their chicks and showing skilled teamwork in the process.
Such is the life of the animals here and it is made very clear to me that it is not to be interfered with as many researchers are studying the different animals, both life cycles and behaviour. Therefore no interference of any kind, no hunting, feeding or protecting species from each other. Except for the King of the Arctic, as research advisor Svein Harald, explains, showing me a picture of a young polar bear and, - of course - the fox, right outside his northernmost home.
Polar bears entering the town or seen within a certain parameter are actively monitored and chased or scared away - and there are Kings Bay employees who actually have that in their job description! Those who do the job of The Watchman.
Yes, I have definitely arrived at a place very different from all others.
Snapshots of the animal life around London 1. JONAA©Svein Harald Sonderland
Again, I need a moment to take in the sheer fact of where I am in the world. That there is nowhere further north to go for a cup of coffee in someone’s home!
Eventually one gets over that geographical fact, but I find myself smiling a lot for no other reason than where I am. And, in the coming days, I notice similar smiles reflected in the many faces of the young scientists, especially those up here for the first time. Smiling faces of brilliant young people, almost not believing that they are actually at 79° North doing research!
I guess that in the world of polar science, life does not get much better than that!
Thriving science despite restrictions
Ny-Ålesund is located on the Brøgger peninsula by the shores of Kongsfjorden on the western part of Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago. In the midst of serene arctic nature, it has been home to thriving Norwegian and international polar research since the mid-sixties. Eleven research institutions from 10 countries have a permanent presence, renting buildings and land from Kings Bay. In addition, every year researchers from different institutions and universities from many more countries undertake projects in Ny-Ålesund.
That is, of course, except in the Corona year of my visit, 2021. For instance, the big red two-storey building that - guarded by two imperial lions - unmistakably houses the Polar Institute of China, PRIC, stands empty.
As does the old protected yellow schoolhouse from the mining era, when families with children actually lived in Ny-Ålesund. Now it is the lodgings of India’s National Center for Polar and Ocean Research, NCPOR. But in the summer of 2021, no one is there.
Which, interestingly has not brought all of the research NCPOR normally undertakes in Ny-Ålesund, to a halt, as I later find out joining Marine Ilg, departmental engineer in charge of King Bay’s laboratories, on a boat trip. Kings Bay as a service and logistic provider, does the sampling that the NCPOR’s researchers are not here to do themselves. The data or the samples collected are sent to India for researchers to analyse as they would, in a normal year, do in Ny-Ålesund. This way a field season is not lost and no gap is created in long term monitoring programs.
But there is a lot of research in place despite Corona travel restrictions. The big institutions, NPI, the Norwegian Polar Institute and AWIPEV, which stands for the Alfred Wegener Institute from Germany and Institut Polaire Français Paul-Émile-Victor from France have their permanent staff and also visiting researchers running many of the projects taking place. For the Norwegian Mapping Authority which also has permanent staff in Ny-Ålesund, it is business as usual.
Then Maarten Loonen, from the University of Groningen is here like all summers of the past decades, doing research accompanied by several students and researchers.
Not to forget, my wonderful next-door neighbours. The Italians from CNR, Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche who are there in full force, running several projects in and around the town. As will be discussed in Part 2 of this article about the Science Community.
Actually, also in Part 3 on History and Cultural Heritage, because Italy, despite the 8000+ kilometres from Rome to the North Pole, is an example of a non-Arctic country with a great historical contribution to polar science and explorations.
The Italians outside the Italian Arctic Station, Dirigibile Italia in Ny-Ålesund. Standing at the top: Francesco De Rovere, PhD student in polar sciences, Massimiliano Varde', senior station leader at Dirigibile Italia and Marco Casula, technician at CNR-ISP. Front from the left: Matt Boyer, PhD student, Zoé Brasseur, PhD student, Ilara Baneschi, research technologist at CNR-IGG, Linda Franceschi, a research fellow at CNR-IGG, Angela Augusti, a researcher at CNR-IRET, Olga Gavrichkova, a researcher at CNR-IRET and Emanuele Pallozzi, research technologist at CNR-IRET. JONAA©Svein Harald Sønderland
From mining to science
Originally founded in 1916 as a privately-owned mining company, Kings Bay Kull Comp A/S, the road to becoming a Norwegian state-owned company has been both long and dramatic.
With the Svalbard Treaty in 1920, the archipelago, which is not a geographical part of Norway, became Norwegian sovereignty and a full part of the Kingdom in 1925 with the Svalbard act. It is a free economic zone, a demilitarized zone and to some extent abides by regulations that differ from other parts of Norway.
Many have written about the multi-layered history of Kings Bay and Ny-Ålesund, but none as detailed as Rolf Hanoa, chief physician at the Neurosurgery Department of Oslo’s University Hospital, who in his career has held many positions as a doctor in Svalbard. His books are truly required reading for anyone interested in this part of Norwegian history.
Kings Bay became a Norwegian state-owned company in 1933. Today it belongs to the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment, and it is all about science and cultural heritage. As clearly stated on the company’s webpage:
Ny-Ålesund is a centre for international arctic scientific research and environmental monitoring. Kings Bay AS main task is to manage valuable natural and cultural environments and to be a facilitator for Ny-Ålesund Research Station. We run the community, take care of our common cultural heritage and supply infrastructure services, but also offer other services that contribute to greater research coordination and collaboration.
That, they certainly do!
Kings Bay has permanent positions for 28 employees and this year an additional 5 for seasonal summer workers. Apart from the two, Stian Jacobsen and Vegard Sand, who take turns doing the job of the airport manager, there is one person for each defined job position.
But I need not stay long to realise that overall most Kings Bay people take on several tasks in addition to their actual jobs and just join hands whenever needed. There is something very special about Kings Bay and the whole community in Ny-Ålesund which fits perfectly with its special surroundings.
Employment rules of Kings Bay create a big turnover at times, so to make sure there are pictures of everyone working for the company, Kings Bay’s people come together twice a year for a group picture. JONAA©Vilborg Einarsdottir
A close-knit community
A few days into my visit, when I’ve been around long enough to get some insight into this pretty amazing community, and the equally amazing company that runs it, I meet up with Kings Bay director Lars Ole Saugnes. And, without romanticizing it, I tell him how it feels more like I’m around people in an extended family, rather than the employees of a company. In the sense that we do not choose our family and we may like some family members more than others, but we care for them all, protect, help out and ensure their wellbeing the best we can - because they are family.
The director - or in my definition the head of the family - replies with a smile, “I think you’re right.”
“This is very much the feeling or rather the culture within Kings Bay,” says Lars Ole. “I find it special and also interesting because as a rule, people can only work for Kings Bay for 4 continuous years. That applies to everyone. We begin with a 2-year contract which can be extended twice for 1 year each time. And that’s it. Of course, it is possible that people return again later, but 4 continuous years is the maximum. The reasons, isolation and such make sense, but this also means that we have a big turnover of employees which can be problematic at times. But that fact also makes this family atmosphere all the more interesting,” says Lars Ole.
This feeling of closeness, do you think that originates in the location and the isolation?
“I am sure it does, but there is more. People who apply for jobs here are very motivated to come. For nature, the location, the science, the uniqueness of the community and of course to earn a living. I can also sense a deep appreciation and pride of the company itself and its history of over a hundred years.”
Norwegians always celebrate their National day, May 17th in a big way. In Ny-Ålesund it’s no different; the national costumes, raising the flag, the parade - even AWIPEV’s daily weather balloon is dressed up!
All pictures JONAA©Hanne Karin Tollan
Running a city at 79°N is a complex task
Lars Ole continues. “We are all here in an isolated community for a limited time, working together to ensure that requirements of the Ny-Ålesund Research Station and science projects are met in the best possible way. Arctic research is expensive and scientists generally stop here for a relatively short time. Our job is to make sure that research needs are met, that we have the right tools and materials on-site and the right skills so that everything that needs to be done gets done in a short time. It is also motivating to get positive feedback from the researchers on our efforts to facilitate their work to scientific standards, like with the marine lab that we are very proud of.”
“Then, we run this city, as we say, and that is quite a complex task at 79° North. People have to be able to live here comfortably, the infrastructure, roads, water, heat, sewage, electricity and all that has to work. The science has to be facilitated and then, we have to make sure that all the cultural heritage of Ny-Ålesund is maintained and preserved to the standards of Norwegian law,” says Lars Ole. “If something comes up, regardless of the day or the time, my people just join forces, tackle the problem and solve it. I’ve seen this several times and it makes me immensely proud to be the leader of such a battalion.”
Aware of his military background as Lieutenant colonel in the Norwegian army, hearing Lars Ole refer to his people as a battalion, makes sense.
Lars Ole Saugnes, the director of Kings Bay with advisor Hanne Karin Tollan and research advisor Svein Harald Sønderland in the beautifully restored Amundsen’s villa, one of the protected houses of cultural heritage in Ny Alesund. It was built in 1918 and later became the residence of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, one of history’s great figures of polar exploration; the first to reach the South Pole, the first to make a ship voyage through the Northwest Passage and to cross the Arctic by air. JONAA©Vilborg Einarsdottir.
Serving science while protecting cultural heritage
When Lars Ole mentions the preservation commitment and cultural heritage, while we sit in the historically restored Amundsen Villa, I wonder how science and cultural heritage really go together.
That question is answered later, on one of many evening walks I take with the Kings Bay advisors, visiting just about every house in the town. Svein Harald explains that contrary to my idea, science and cultural heritage can actually go very well together.
“When we try to have strict regulations due to science, like what materials and paint we can use and so forth, and if everything is done accordingly, then we might even be stricter than cultural heritage preservation regulation demands. We use for instance old traditional linseed oil on the outside of houses, because it is more natural, and has less impact on the research when it dries. That is also very good in regards to cultural heritage.”
“However, there could be houses that we are not allowed to do much with, like not allowed to insulate. Something that would be good to be able to do so we could use those buildings during the winter. But none of that interferes or makes it more difficult to do research,” says Svein Harald.
“Then, we try to find ways to minimize the footprint of everything we do here. This also means that we ship all waste out of Ny-Ålesund, even our compost, so the impact on the research is as small as possible.”
In Ny-Ålesund you stay on the road or on the boardwalks. JONAA©Vilborg Einarsdottir
Ny-Ålesund has some 10 km of roads in total and after a week I know them all from my evening walks. They are used by all 17 cars and 6 trucks in town, pedestrians and a lot of bicycle traffic! Some of the cars are electric and I’m told that electric cars work well in Ny-Ålesund since it is not too cold despite being situated so far north. Kings Bay has plans to further electrify its fleet of vehicles and an electric snowmobile has been ordered.
Boardwalks have also been cleverly laid in several places to steer human traffic away from areas of birds and animals, sensitive scientific equipment and just shield the delicate tundra on which the town is built. But as I learn from Hanne Karin Tollan, there are other reasons also and they have to do with Norwegian law.
Mellageret is a protected house used for various activities. Velferden runs a bar there on Saturday evenings and people take turns being on bar duty. On Thursday there are Pølsepils gatherings and it is where farewell parties are held for people moving away. That is, as long as they move during the summer time, as being a building of cultural heritage means that it is not allowed to be insulated and is therefore too cold for use in winter JONAA©Vilborg Einarsdottir
Conflict of maintenance and protection
“We have 29 buildings erected between 1916 and 1945 and automatically protected by law as a part of Svalbard’s cultural heritage and identity. These are half of the buildings in Ny-Ålesund and Svalbard's largest collection of automatically protected buildings,” says landscape architect Hanne Karin, Kings Bay’s advisor responsible for the cultural heritage and land use. It is the year 1945 that marks automatic protection of everything built before.
“Each protected house or object requires by law a 100-metre radius of protection around it. The boardwalks make that all easier.”
On the subject of protected houses, it is impossible not to notice the several buildings that are somewhat strangely angled; leaning slightly more to one side than the other and structures no longer standing straight. Old age or permafrost thaw, I ask Hanne Karin.
“Well, Kings Bay is the owner and responsible for safeguarding a large number of protected technical monuments and sites from the mining and polar history of Ny-Ålesund so there is a lot of cultural heritage here that we take care of. And as we are bound by the Svalbard Environmental Protection Act we have to do so in a more kind of archaeological way than generally happens with cultural heritage on the mainland of Norway,” says Hanne Karin.
“Of the 29 protected buildings, 22 are in everyday use. We live in them and they are workplaces so maintaining them to serve both the protection laws and the needs for everyday use is challenging and requires more funding than the Norwegian government as the owner grants the company” says Hanne Karin.
“The climate warming in nature is happening faster than I imagine anyone could anticipate so this becomes a dilemma. These listed buildings and cultural monuments were originally constructed without knowledge of climate change and also not for eternal life. Following the rules, which we do, can also mean that we may lose the buildings we were set to protect,” says Hanne Karin Tollan.
Her concerns are echoed when I later speak with both the operation manager, Espen Blix and Kings Bay’s carpenter, Morten Østlund. They talk of difficulties with maintaining houses built before 1945 because of restrictions on e.g. material use, insulation not being allowed and the biggest problem, movement.
“Buildings on the move are not the easiest to maintain,” says Espen. “The most important thing is to make them stay still, and we have done some work on that with houses that are not protected. But that is a huge operation and if we do that we have to use Kings Bay manpower that should be doing other work,” says Espen Blix.
A picture from the operation to stabilize the Old Hospital, moving the house onto a steel frame, supported by steel pipes drilled into the bedrock. JONAA©Espen Blix
It is interesting to listen to these two, both very realistic about the challenges of maintaining everything in Ny-Ålesund in general. It is also obvious that both men have grown deeply attached to the place.
Espen, who is from Bodø in north Norway, came originally to Ny-Ålesund as a carpenter in 2014 to work for a construction company building the houses and structures of the Norwegian Mapping Authority. “I realised that I really liked this place and everything about it and at the first opportunity I applied for a job with Kings Bay.”
Morten´s story is similar. He came to Ny-Ålesund on a 2-week visit in 2019 with the Norwegian Guide and Scout Association and returned in 2020 to work. “I fell in love with this place and when I heard that the carpenter was leaving soon, I just applied. I come from a very small place, Løten in inland Norway, but this is by far the smallest community I´ve lived in and it is also the one I like the most.”
“We are so few people here, living so close, but interestingly there are very few that you don’t care to be around. The work is interesting, demanding and done with great co-workers. And usually, you are working with the same people on your main job and your other jobs,” says Morten with a smile.
His main job is being the permanent carpenter, but he also works in fire and rescue at the airport and is one of the 8 people who do the job of The Watchman and the several tasks that come with that.
Aircraft familiarization at the airport. Standing from left with pilot Torstein Dragland are Ida Kristoffersen, electrician, Morten Østlund, carpenter, Erlend Havenstrøm, harbourmaster, Espen Blix, operation manager, Marine Ilg, departmental engineer, pilot Eivind Trondsen and airport manager Stian Jacobsen. Kneeling are Tormod Eknes, power station manager, Tor Inge Tøftvang, plumber and mechanic Thor Petter Johnsen. JONAA©©Svein Harald Sønderland
Keeping things up and running
Kings Bay runs the town and operates everything from the airport to the harbour, the powerplant, water supplies etc. on a daily basis. There is one person for each permanent job, with the exception of the airport managers and it is just interesting to get an insight into how this small group handles the daily work in addition to the several tasks that call for regular crossovers and cooperation. The departmental engineer, responsible for the laboratories and the harbourmaster, responsible for the harbour and the harbour storage are also a part of this operation group.
Securing the right supplies is an important part of running the town as implied by several well-stocked storage places. Orders for materials, equipment or food that need to be shipped are weeks, even months away.
This is also why there is the Taco Friday tradition, on the first Friday after a boat arrives, to celebrate the luxury of fresh vegetables.
Shortly before I leave, I get the chance to meet the group, as they keep a tradition of gathering on Friday afternoons for coffee, cake or in this case, ice cream, at the office of Erlend Havenstrøm, the harbourmaster.
Lively conversations answer most of my questions on safety, response to fire, flooding, snow-clearance, rescue, reindeer clearing on the runway - and of course the polar bears. Many in this group also do the job of The Watchman and are trained to chase polar bears out of the polar bear parameter.
Naturally, being the curious newcomer in town, I have to ask. So, who is on polar bear duty right now?
And, it warms my feminist heart to see electrician Ida Kristoffersen raise her hand.
Confirming what I have come to understand, that to make a community like Ny Alesund run, takes talent and expertise and has little to do with gender.
Always bring a firearm and flare gun when travelling outside Ny-Ålesund. The red line marks the zone where polar bear measures will be taken. And the blue line marks the zone, in town, where weapons should be unloaded and empty.
A Friday tradition is an afternoon gathering, at the office of the Harbourmaster. Sometimes with guests. From the left: Håkon Johnsen, Tor Inge Tøftvang, Morten Østlund, Arne Johan Jakobsen, Tom-Kenneth Wendelborg, Ida Kristoffersen, Erlend Havenstrøm, Espen Blix, Thor Petter Johnsen, Pål Higraff. JONAA©Vilborg Einarsdottir
Servicebygget - the heart of the whole place
During my stay, I lodge at Evenstad one of the few buildings that have not played several roles in Ny-Ålesund history. Originally built in 2005 and sort of new, which explains unexpected luxuries in the form of a private bathroom, shower and a landline.
But it is Servicebygget, the Service House, that becomes the centre of my life - like everyone else’s around.
Servicebygget. JONAA©Svein Harald Sønderland
The magnificent view from Servicebygget’s spacious lounge that is used for gatherings and celebrations, relaxed conversations or quiet moments. The mountain peak furthest left is one of Ny-Ålesund’s emblematic Tre Kroner (three Crowns), Dana, Nora and Svea, as the three side-by-side mountains are called. The island in front is Prins Heinrich island, one of the bird nesting areas. JONAA©Vilborg Einarsdottir
This big building, originally built in 1957, recently went through massive and much-needed foundation support, as its oldest part was sinking partly due to permafrost thaw and affecting the building in several ways. The work is finished and the main house foundation is now supported by steel pipes that were drilled into the bedrock below. The extent of this project was such that it called for a formal new opening by Norway’s Minister of Climate and Environment at the time, and ultimately the head of Kings Bay, Sveinung Rotevatn.
Entering Servicebygget, one is “greeted” by a full-size polar bear in a long spacious sofa lounge that serves many purposes, such as for receptions and talks. Here, Sveinung Rotevatn, Norway’s Minister of Climate and Environment at the time of my visit, Ole Arve Misund, director of the Norwegian Polar Institute, Tor Instanes, chairman of Kings Bay’s board and other guests, listen to Geir Gabrielsen, one of Svalbard´s legendary polar scientists explain photographs from decades of his research in Svalbard. JONAA©Vilborg Einarsdottir
After 25 years, finally a polar bear!
Servicebygget is home to Kings Bay’s administration, with offices and meeting rooms on the upper floor and a beautiful space for special gatherings. The view that is amazing both from inside and the balconies is made extra amazing for me on day 4.
Standing on the balcony I witness a female polar bear with two cubs swim towards town after raiding eggs in the bird sanctuary on the Prins Heinrich island, and then disappear into the fog, walking towards the Zeppelin mountain.
There is amazement and relief in this sight for me, who has spent so much time in Greenland and repeatedly been asked how many polar bears I’ve seen - a question to which I’ve embarrassingly had to answer None. But never again!
Christer Amundsen and Hilde Jørgensen in the reception. A close look to the left of the picture shows the airport bus that takes passengers to, or from, the door of the plane. Departures and arrivals are formally from here. JONAA©Svein Harald Sønderland
Radio silence and rifle rules
On the first floor of Servicebygget is the reception, handling bookings, rooms, flights and various services, and the place to go for information, questions and guidance. It also functions as a check-in for departures. Likewise, this is where new arrivals are warmly welcomed as they step off the airport bus and have the basic rules explained before formally entering Ny-Ålesund.
Like the all-important rule of radio silence in town and within a 20 km circumference. This means that all wireless equipment, cellphones, laptops, cameras, digital watches and so forth are either turned off or set to flight mode.
The radio silence is needed to create minimal radio frequency, RF, noise that can interfere with the work of the Norwegian Mapping Authority. Their geodetic earth observatory listens to noise or signals from Quasars in space and since they are so far away they have to amplify the signal and are therefore very sensitive. Hence, radio silence by law in the frequency range between 2 and 32 GHz. The radio silence also creates good opportunities for research using passive equipment.
Another rule you learn while being welcomed is that stepping outside city limits requires a rifle and to carry a rifle you need to be certified and have passed a course and a test by Kings Bay. You are also made aware of what to do in the fairly unlikely case of a polar bear sighting in town; get into a house and call the Watchman. All doors in Ny-Ålesund are unlocked at all times, houses and cars alike and emergency phones are located all over.
That informative welcome speech was my first encounter with Kings Bay’s adviser, Hanne Karin Tollan, responsible for cultural heritage, land-planning and also the one, who along with Svein Harald Sønderland, would become the guiding light of my visit.
The two also become my protection outside city limits, as despite half a day of brilliant teaching by airport manager Stian Jacobsen, answering in detail all the questions of why, where, when, what, who and how, that one needs to understand and respect in the environment of polar bears - once at the rifle range, I gloriously failed the course! Deemed a larger threat to humans around me than any approaching polar bear!
In Servicebygget you find the big kitchen that caters to everyone in Ny-Ålesund. Breakfast, lunch and dinner - and a highly recommended brunch on weekends! The mess is open 24h so people can pack lunches and food for fieldwork or drop by for an evening snack.
It is a set-up that makes perfect sense for several reasons. No precious and probably very expensive research time has to be used for cooking at home, groceries do not need to be sold in the shop, managing food and food packaging waste becomes very controllable, which is important here as all waste gets transported to Tromsø for disposal. That is a long way to go!
The kitchen team, Monika Henriksen, Tone Berrefjord and chef Britt Blom Bredesen who is preparing to leave when I am there, Anne Karine Røe, Jens Johan Eriksen and chef Kristian Andre Nilsen, newly arrived in Ny-Ålesund to take over running the kitchen. JONAA©Svein Harald Sønderland
International gathering at every table
For researchers of different backgrounds and everyone in Ny-Ålesund the dining hall is more than a place for meals. This is where people meet, get to know each other, share their thoughts and stories. At times there seems to be an international gathering at every table. Several of the scientists I meet make mention of this set-up as a big part of what makes working in Ny-Ålesund so special for them.
Other facilities include the waste management and disposal station, laundry services and the clinic of the permanent nurse, as well as housekeeping, which is no small task in Ny-Ålesund. In housekeeping, I meet Helga Bogey Birgisdottir from Iceland who has lived with her family for years in Norway. Speaking with her I realise that although English is very much the language of this place, I always hear Kings Bay people speak with one another in Norwegian - explained by the company’s rule that all employees speak the language. And within the Kings Bay group, it is only Helga and Marine Ilg from Germany, who are not Norwegian.
Impressive settings for conversations on polar science. JONAA©Svein Harald Sønderland
Helga Bogey Birgisdottir one of the two non-Norwegian Kings Bay employees.
Office manager Aud J. Nergård and accountant Ina Gulbranson.
Oddny Synnøve Moen and Helga Bogey from Housekeeping.
Challenges on the job are different here
In Servicebygget I meet Kings Bay’s permanent nurse, Heidi Fureli. Just like Espen Blix, Morten Østlund and so many others, Heidi has worked in the high north for years and formed a personal attachment to the Arctic region.
“It’s very different to live in these small, isolated communities. You grow attached to the people, the environment and this different way of life - to the point when even Longyearbyen begins to feel a bit big!” says Heidi. Her professional background in mainland Norway was in cities like Tromsø and Bergen, specialising in emergency room response and nursing within prisons and addiction recovery institutions.
Nurse Heidi Fureli. JONAA©Svein Harald Sønderland
“I guess my calling was always to work with people in tough and challenging situations, physically and psychologically,” says Heidi with her big smile. “Once my children became grown-ups, this passion led me first to Jan Mayen and then to here. Of course, challenges here are very different to the challenges of places like prisons, but still, it’s very different to working e.g. in a big hospital in a big city. Here you know everyone and you know everyone’s health issues. The people you see on the job are the same people you meet when the workday is done. There is no going home and unloading your thoughts to someone with no connection to anything or anyone at work. Or colleagues to share concerns with.”
“I find the fact that everyone meets everyone every day, both challenging and wonderfully unique. We are all here for a limited time, without our families and meeting daily at mealtimes creates a community of people looking out for each other. You notice if someone doesn’t show up and you check on them. For the physiological side of my job that is important, as you quickly become aware if someone is struggling. Which happens here like everywhere else. Someone has a difficult time coping e.g. with the isolation, the darkness, depression or anxiety. Being so close to others makes it easier to step in and help,” says Heidi.
The clinic is equipped for all basic healthcare and when needed Heidi can connect to doctors at Longyearbyen’s hospital and jointly perform detailed examinations and diagnoses in real-time.
“I love this technology, it makes the world of difference for providing healthcare in remote places,” says Heidi. “But there is something else we have here that I find invaluable for people’s health and wellbeing. The closeness to nature and various opportunities we have of retreating into this amazing environment all around. There is calmness, joy and healing in that.”
This brings us to the all-important Velferden of Ny-Ålesund. With one quick stop before that chapter - Kongsfjordbuttiken. The town’s only shop with opening hours from 5 PM to 6 PM every Monday and Thursday. An experience not to be missed.
Basic necessities are available at Kongsfjordbutiken on Mondays and Thursdays from 5 PM to 6 PM. When I visit these three are on a shift, Kathea Paalsdatter Aakerhus who also works in housekeeping, Bodil Haugvik the store manager and the higher executive officer for procurement at Kings Bay, and Line Westlie a seasonal worker for the summer. JONAA©Svein Harald Sønderland
Since all meals in Ny-Ålesund are served in the beautiful dining hall of Servicebygget, no grocery shop is needed and the nearest one is some 100 km away in Longyearbyen. But of course, there is demand for a well-stocked shop with all kinds of everything one might, or might not deem essential when almost at the North Pole. Even if it is only open for two hours per week. Toiletries, snacks, sweets and soft drinks - next to a surprisingly good book selection, souvenirs, thermals, woollen hats, gloves, notebooks, and pens for research - and in a closed-off room; tobacco and alcohol, including Ny-Ålesund’s special Cognac, distilled with a bit of melted glacial ice collected from Kongsfjorden and sold at very un-Norwegian prices, as alcohol and tobacco are duty exempt on Svalbard.
Still, interesting as it is to browse through the shop, it is not the inventory that makes Kongsfjordbutiken memorable. It´s the floor! Shiny and spotless on any given day, despite a dirt road outside that, is either dry or dusty, wet and muddy or buried in snow!
Once through the front door, like every other house in town, people take off their shoes before entering. In some places, like Servicebygget, the entrance has not only racks for outdoor boots, but stacks of crocs in different sizes for indoor use.
Yet another example of a Ny-Ålesund common-sense solution.
The all-important Velferden
Velferden, best translated as The Welfare, is an important part of the community, organized by everyone who lives in Ny-Ålesund, and available to all, including researchers, former employees on visits or relatives that Kings Bay employees can have for visits, with 2,5 visiting days allocated for each month of work,” as Svein Harald explains to me.
“Everyone pays a bit to Velferden through the cost of their stay and are then also free to use it. Then, everyone who lives in Ny-Ålesund is also a part of one of the several Velferden committees. For instance, the boat committee, the kayak committee, the cabin committee, the gym committee, the bar committee and so on. Each committee has its responsibility, like for the boats you can rent, or the kayaks, or ordering wood and gas or anything else needed for the cabins or buying gear for the gym to name a few committee responsibilities.”
My first encounter with Velferden happens on day 2 in Ny-Ålesund. Looking at a notice of a SaltWater Choir rehearsal, I´m told I’ll hear them perform at the Pirate Party. “You know, the costume party you’re going to tomorrow!”
Right. I’ve just landed at the North Pole. So to speak. Of course I am going to a costume party!
Not recalling a mention of this on any of the multiple information pages received prior to my trip, I point out that in my extra careful packing of down and fleece, I truly didn’t have the imagination to bring anything even remotely fitting a Pirate themed costume party.
“Don’t worry,” is the answer. “You’ll find something!”
To my surprise later that day, I not only find pretty perfect clothes to dress up in but there is actually more to choose from. In a tiny house, where the first room is lined with cross-country skis, the next one with camping gear and the third one - with clothes and costumes, previous residents have left behind, which gives me the feeling that costume parties happen here regularly.
I later learn that there is a calendar of gatherings and parties such as the Sun Party, celebrating the first sign of sun after the dark winter, the Summer Party, the Fall Party and then of course celebrations on the 17th of May, traditional pre-Christmas gathering, and parties on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Apart from the three first ones, the dress code is normal.
Heidi Fureli and Hanne Karin Tollan hiking to the rugged Brandalen cabin. Across the fjord, Tre kroner, the Three Crowns majestically rise above the glacier. JONAA©Vilborg Einarsdottir
Unfortunately, I do not get the chance to go on a proper cabin trip while in Ny-Ålesund, but I do get to visit one of the rugged cabins that are just outside of town with the advisers and Heidi Fureli and I see clearly the importance of these little places.
“You need a boat to get to some of the cabins, a long hike in the summer or a snow scooter trip in winter. But to some, you don´t need to travel very far and it is really nice to have cabins close to town” says Heidi as we hike towards the Brandal cabin which is within view of the town, but still has a “far out in nature” feeling to it. “It is nice also to be able to come here for the day to relax or even just for a nice evening coffee.”
My middle-of-the-night walk in arctic wonderland
Despite having been classified unfit to operate a rifle and a danger to myself and surrounding humans if armed, it is only beyond city limits that my movements are restricted. Within limits I’m good.
So one night, when I wake up past midnight to the sound of the ground outside being scratched, I look out to see a reindeer beneath my window. Perhaps one of those I witnessed Kings Bay people chase off the airstrip earlier so an incoming plane could land. But I see more.
Outside is a world simply too gorgeous to go back to sleep. So around 2 AM my hiking boots are on and armed with sunglasses and a camera I go for a stroll in this amazingly lit environment of majestic nature and multi-coloured man-made structures.
Being a native Icelander, bright summer nights are not unfamiliar. Just, not this bright or this far into the summer.
The town is asleep; the sun is high above the horizon and its reflection glitters in the fjord. The only ones around are the reindeer and they have no interest in me or my camera - and the terns, and they show my stroll increasing and somewhat unnecessary attention. As I get closer to the harbour, they get closer to me.
Of course. For once in my life, I am the tallest thing around!
To protect my head, I place the camera on top of it and quickly forget the words of the research advisor who told me earlier when asked if I should wave a stick or something in this kind of a situation: “No, we never use sticks to scare off the terns, it could damage or break their beaks. We just use our hands, perhaps a soft hat, bow our heads, and speed through.”
Which did sound very logical when said in a conversation while walking through tern-territory, clinging tight to a person 30+ cm taller, and thus my obvious tern-shield at the time.
But here, in the middle of this bright summer’s night and so totally on my own, I extend my height, lengthen the lens, forget all about beaks and wildlife preservation and decide if needed, to sacrifice my camera rather than my head.
But I do speed through. No human or animals are harmed.
The action above my head! JONAA©Vilborg Einarsdottir
This middle-of-the-night adventure does not end on my return to Evenstad. Once there I take a long moment outside just to breathe all this in. Long enough for Ingo Beninga who is working on a night shift at the AWIPEV observatory in the building above, to come out just to check if I am alright, standing out there on my own.
Yet another reminder of the care for others that is so apparent in Ny-Ålesund.
While we talk, Bjørn Anders Nymoen shows up, returning from fieldwork and fox observations on a continuous project that has brought him several times to Ny-Ålesund in the past decade.
So when I finally go back to sleep I have not just witnessed this glorious, sunlit Arctic night, but heard the most wonderful stories of just how clever foxes are.
Like the one that Bjørn has observed moving relentlessly between the two far apart dens where he keeps family in both places! Or the fox that became world-famous, as his travels were tracked through his satellite collar, all the way from Ny-Ålesund, first to Greenland and then Canada!
The sun high on the Arctic sky in the middle of the night of June 27th 2021. JONAA©Vilborg Einarsdottir.
And then, it’s time to leave
This place is surely something else. That feeling has just grown the more I’ve gotten to know its people and hear their stories. But if I find the thought of returning home after only 11 days at 79° North slightly saddening, I can only imagine that leaving and adjusting elsewhere can take quite some time for those who have been here for years.
Like research advisor Svein Harald Sønderland, who is beginning to plan the packing of his Ny-Ålesund home, when I show up for the final cup of coffee of my trip. Svein Harald came to work for Kings Bay in 2017 and will leave Ny-Ålesund at the end of the year.
I ask him, what he will miss.
“The community, the people, as well as the nature. This is a very nice place to live,” answers the biologist, originally from Nissedal in Telemark, south Norway. Ny-Ålesund is not his first time in an Arctic setting. He did the fieldwork for his PhD studies in Alaska, looking into colonisation and succession of watersheds and rivers after glacial retreat. But Ny-Ålesund, obviously, is the furthest north he or anyone else for that matter has lived.”
Biologist Svein Harald Sønderland, the man with a permanent residence and postal address, further north than anyone else for the past years. That is soon to change. JONAA©Vilborg Einarsdottir
“During my 4 years, I’ve experienced a lot of changes, both workwise and in nature. That has made my time here very interesting,” says Svein Harald. “Also a lot of different research being undertaken in Ny-Ålesund, from marine to space and everything in-between.”
“My job has spanned a wide range of tasks. I’ve worked with research coordination, hosting and been the manager of the Marine lab. As Kings Bay’s Research advisor I´m also responsible for the research services and logistics that Kings Bay provides. Developing these services and promoting them as well as the town as a whole is a part of that package, so while the work has been multilayered and demanding, I feel very fortunate to have spent a time of my life here”
“But,” he adds, “I would not have done all of this on my own. Because when you are here, Kings Bay gets to become your extended family and working together we achieve things.”
“We are few and the tasks are many so it can be hard to not just work all the time. And that’s not just me! But it’s very understandable because we take pride in providing world-class services and logistics to all researchers who are lucky enough to come here. During my period we have e.g. increased research opportunities during the dark period with our boat, MS Teisten as long as the weather condition permits.”
“We have a new common radio system that improves communication and to be able to send out polar bear warnings to everyone. Updated environmental health and safety and general procedures, and many other improvements of our provided service and logistics. Then, it’s not all about equipment and I’m especially proud that we got permanent positions of departmental engineer and nurse during my time.”
“At the end of the day you feel privileged to live in this community of your co-workers at Kings Bay, the researchers and people of AWIPEV and NMA and of course the people of NPI, The Norwegian Polar Institute, which became our better half, so to speak, after the new strategy for Ny-Ålesund was implemented. But NPI has always been the most important collaborator for Kings Bay in making Ny-Ålesund what it is - a unique place for science, like no other in the world and with many possibilities.”
JONAA©Vilborg Einardottir
Have four years been time enough for you to observe changes in nature, like due to climate?
“It is difficult to say what is directly caused by climate change and what is a part of natural changes in the environment in such a short time,” says Svein Harald. “But the active layer goes deeper and there is a strong increase in measured CO2 in the air over a long time at the Zeppelin station.”
“But the one thing I’ve noticed is that nature here is very variable, much more than I thought and changes happen fast. Like the ocean temperature change from year to year influencing the populations within. For instance, one year researchers almost only caught Polar cod in the fjord, but in years prior they almost only caught Atlantic cod.”
“The weather also varies greatly. We’re on Spitzbergen’s west side, influenced by the Gulf stream so it never gets truly cold. In my short time, we’ve seen winters with almost no snow and then like last year, with a lot. That perhaps explains why we had much more dead reindeer last winter than normal, which then means much more food for the foxes. If that happens before the mating season, the foxes will have more pups. Then, the fox population grows and that affects the lives of other animals! One year with a lot of foxes here resulted in no terns-chicks surviving and a large dent in the Barnacle geese population.”
“It has been truly interesting is to witness changes in the animal populations and how they directly affect one another. We can see most animal populations increase, probably due to warmer temperatures and more nutrients, but researchers have also observed crashes in populations like reindeer since their food source in the area can’t support the population number.”
“This is all variable and that makes this such an interesting place and interesting environment to live in,” says Svein Harald.
Having spent only a few days in this unique town with its amazing animal life, environment and people, I fully understand. I will miss it too. ▢
Vilborg Einarsdottir is the Editor-in-Chief of JONAA, the Journal of the North Atlantic & Arctic and a JONAA partner & founder. Formally a journalist for 12 years at Morgunblaðið in Iceland, she has worked since 1996 as a specialised producer of film, photography and media productions on extreme locations in Arctic Greenland and as a cultural producer in the Nordic-Arctic region. She is an awarded film and documentary scriptwriter, experienced speaker and editor of photography books from the Arctic.
