Embracing Arctic Nature: Glacier Valleys

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.

Embracing Arctic Nature: Glacier Valleys

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Day 26: Museums, Frogs, and Parkas?!

by Robert Nystrom and Miriam Zarate

As we continue on our quest to a better understanding of the history of the Arctic region, we continue to investigate the lives and culture of the region's indigenous people. The history of Sweden's indigenous people can provide valuable insight into both the environment of the Arctic and the changes that have occurred over time.

We visited the Nordiska Museet today as a class, primarily to gain more knowledge about the Sami people, or Laplanders as they were once called. The Nordiska Museet, like Skansen, which we visited earlier in our trip, is dedicated to promoting and teaching the cultural history of Sweden. The museum, while still extravagant and immense, was originally intended to be three times its size. The architecture of the museum also succeeds in celebrating and promoting patriotism by adding an authentic Swedish culture feel.

The exhibit that was specifically pertinent to us, as alluded to earlier, was the Sami. The Sami exhibit had an incredible display of authentic artifacts including, boots, knives, coats, hats, tools, a sacred drum, and more. The exhibit included accounts of how these artifacts were gathered. Most of these objects were initially brought back from the North as expedition trophies. However, some indigenous groups are asking that these artifacts be brought back to their place of origin due to issues regarding the ethical means by which some objects were attained, such as the sacred wooden Sieidi. While the exhibit of the Sami people appears to be out of place with other exhibits, the Sami’s heritage and lifestyle are an integral part of Sweden’s cultural make up.

In addition to the Museum, we (17 UIUC students) decided to have our own journey that evening. We went to the Ice Bar located in Stockholm to experience some chills of our own before our journey to the Arctic. The theme of the Ice Bar, "Northernmost Attraction," seemed incredibly fitting to us. The Ice Bar is open year round at the Nordic Hotel and is kept at a chilly -5 degrees Celsius.  The walls, chairs, tables, and even the glasses themselves are made entirely of pure, clear ice. The ice used at the Ice Bar is imported from the Swedish Lapland, which is located in the northernmost part of the country. We were given parkas and gloves to wear in order to keep us warm during our time in the Ice Bar. Our time at this icy attraction made us all even more eager to travel north to Svalbard and experience the Arctic.


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.

Day 26: Museums, Frogs, and Parkas?!

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Journey Northward

by Robert Nystrom and Miriam Zarate

As our first week of class comes to a close, we are a week closer to our trip up north to Svalbard. Our lectures this week began with one on Swedish colonization and future visions in the Arctic, a lecture on Artic governance and geopolitical interest of both Arctic and non-Arctic states, another lecture on literature regarding arctic travel specifically concerning the Vikings and their records of discovery, and concluded with a lecture about the personal written accounts of Carl von Linné's journey to Lapland and his discoveries about the Sami culture and the environment of Sweden’s northern frontier. Complementing our lectures are a series of readings including The Vinland Sagas, which are a recount of the Viking’s encounters and adventures during exploration of Nordic and Arctic regions. The Vikings were expected to explore the new lands upon sighting or else risk losing credibility as true Viking explorers. We have also begun our reading of Farthest North, an anthology chronicling the race for the North Pole and quests to find new trading routes. The academic diversity of our class has helped lead to great discussions of both the lecture material and readings, and provided different viewpoints on issues and topics regarding some of the first recorded voyages to the Arctic. Having a mixture of PhD, masters and undergraduate students has also enriched our learning experience, the additional years of study that most of the Swedish and international students have has broadened our understanding and introduced different perspectives of the content we are studying. Although the class consists of varying ages and years in education, our common interest in the future of Arctic environments has definitely set a common stage for all to relate. We are working diligently in the classroom to better understand the history of the Arctic region in order to gain the most while on the island of Spitsbergen (Svalbard). 

While we have been busy studying the history of Arctic exploration and governance, we are also excited about the celebration of Midsommar, the commemoration marking the first day of summer. We look forward to learning new and interesting things about our host country and island, and bringing exciting updates of our adventures here in the Nordic region!


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.

Journey Northward

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