by Robert Nystrom and Miriam Zarate
Our
sixth day at 78 degrees north provided another exciting adventure for us all.
The day started off with a hike from our guesthouse in Longyearbyen to Endalen
and Advent Valley with the intentions of studying reindeer and also learning
more about the environment as a whole. Ironically the only reindeer we saw on
our hike was on our way out of the city of Longyearbyen. This fact however did
not make the hike any less valuable or breathtaking. On the way out of the city
we experienced another frightening encounter with arctic terns. These birds are
extremely aggressive and will peck at your head in order to protect their
territory, leaving "a pecking you won’t soon forget” according to our Swedish
instructor. Luckily for our group we were able to scamper through their
territory with only a few close calls. After escaping the arctic terns we
passed by the lodging facility for the sled dogs in Longyearbyen, then right on
the edge of the safe zone we stopped to take pictures with the famous polar
bear sign.
Once out
of town the real hike began. We walked alongside the mountains and looked at
some of the cultural heritage remains from old mining infrastructure. There was
a long series of Aerial coal transportation towers along the majority of the
hike. While cultural heritage sites on Svalbard are technically anything
constructed before 1946 a special exception was made in order to preserve the
mining infrastructure. We also discussed
how to tell the difference between a valley created by a river and a glacier. A
glacier valley will have a U-shape while a river valley will have a V-shape. When
we finally reached Endalen Valley we hiked up the mountain a bit until we had a
good vantage point over the valley and stopped for lunch. During our lunch we
were annoyed by mosquitos, which we did not expect to find.
After
lunch we listened to Professor Bruce Fouke lecture on the Arctic in the
changing climate. He pointed out many interesting statistics and facts. He
pointed out that from 66 degrees and north it is expected to warm at twice the
rate of the global average. Professor Fouke also made it clear that the real
cause of rising sea levels is not the melting of sea ice but the melting of
glaciers. He informed us that it is estimated that the sea level when arctic
glaciers melt by 2100 will by 60 cm higher. Professor Fouke then discussed that
the Arctic has a higher albedo as the snow and ice melts and as a result will
warm more rapidly in the future. He wrapped up his lecture explaining one last
effect of melting permafrost. When permafrost melts it releases methane. Methane is the second most effective greenhouse gas, following
water vapor, with the third most effective being carbon dioxide.
After
the lecture by Professor Fouke we hiked a bit more over to Advent Valley with
hopes of spotting some Svalbard reindeer but were unlucky. Since this would be
the last day that Professor Fouke would join us, we decided to celebrate his
last day with dinner at Kroa, where some of the students opted to try whale
meat. The dinner was both a farewell to one of beloved professors and a great
way to relax after our adventurous hike through Endalen and Advent Valley.
Robert Nystrom is a sophomore studying Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Illinois. He is from Villa Park, IL.
Miriam Zarate is a junior studying Earth, Society, and Environment with a concentration in Science of the Earth System. She is from Bartlett, IL.
Miriam Zarate is a junior studying Earth, Society, and Environment with a concentration in Science of the Earth System. She is from Bartlett, IL.
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