Welcome to the LongyearObs project website

What is LongyearObs?

‘Enhanced Science Outreach and Weather Observations in Longyearbyen’ (LongyearObs) is part of a project called PermaMeteoCommunity, which studies permafrost, weather and climate in Longyearbyen, the main town in Svalbard. LongyearObs aims to involve the residents of Longyearbyen in the PermaMeteoCommunity, for example by monitoring the weather with small private weather stations. This will help to collect more meteorological data and see how the weather varies between different areas of the town. LongyearObs also aims to share the knowledge of the PermaMeteoCommunity by creating easy-to-understand online information about permafrost, climate change and landslide risk.

Weather and Climate

Svalbard’s climate is relatively mild and wet compared to other High Arctic regions. This is to a large degree due to the influence of the West Spitsbergen Current, which can be considered the northernmost branch of the Gulf Stream, that transports warm Atlantic water northward into the Arctic. Svalbard is located at a hotspot for climate change. Over the past few decades, there has been a notable increase in both temperature and precipitation, particularly during the winter.

Permafrost

Permafrost, a remarkable natural phenomenon characteristic of the Arctic, describes ground that remains below 0°C for at least two consecutive years, covering about 15% of Earth’s northern hemisphere. Permafrost is highly sensitive to climate change. Warmer temperatures and changing precipitation patterns lead to accelerated thawing of the active layer, which is the layer that freezes and thaws annually on top of the permafrost. In turn, this poses increased risks for natural hazards such as landslides.

Photo: Sarah Thomae

Weather stations

Several types of automatic weather stations are used to monitor the weather in and around Longyearbyen. In total, five stations provide a detailed understanding of local meteorological conditions and how they vary across the area.

PermaMeteoCommunity

Was an interdisciplinary project focusing on developing resilience in Arctic communities by providing a climate change response system. This system will assist decision-making by providing real-time key geo-scientific observations affected by the increasing climatic changes, especially the high Arctic environment.

The project is finished and the work will be continued in the ThawingLYR project.

Photo: Sarah Thomae

ThawingLYR

“Thawing Arctic Permafrost, Emerging Risks: Managing Critical Infrastructure, Cultural Heritage, and Mountain Slopes Under Climate Change”, is the follow up project of the PermaMeteoCommunity. It will provide real-time access to data on permafrost temperatures, water content, meteorological conditions, ground ice distribution, and terrain movement.

The project studies the impacts of climate change on Arctic permafrost. ThawingLYR follows a cross-disciplinary approach, integrating mapping, observation, modeling, and data synthesis to assess risks to critical infrastructure, cultural heritage, and mountain slopes in Longyearbyen.