30 June 2013
 |
| Captain Wojtek © Bas Bolman |
For Martine, Ruben and Bas this
is the last day at Ny-Ålesund, whereas Ariadna and Ben are staying for another
five weeks for their research on bioindicators and ballast water. Luckily we
finally got the chance to go offshore with a large Zodiac. We had less luck
with the weather: continuous rain and heavy clouds. But that certainly didn’t
influence our enthusiasm for the day.
Mr Wojtek from the Norwegian Polar Institute was our experienced
captain and Maarten Loonen from the Dutch Arctic
Station of the Netherlands joined us as our guide. First he took us to the
marble cave on Blomstrandhalvøya, an island north of Ny-Ålesund. This area has
been exploited in the past for marble mining. Subsequently Maarten showed us
the Blomstrand glacier. Just as most glaciers on Svalbard, the Blomstrand
glacier is retreating. In 1991, after the glacier’s retreat for several
hundreds of metres, it became clear that Blomstrandhalvøya is actually an
island instead of a peninsula.
At 200 metres from the glacier, captain Wojtek turned off
the engine of the boat. With the glacier so close to us, surrounded by smaller
and larger icebergs, we could do nothing but watch the beauty of the area and listen
to the soft sounds of the rain touching the mirror of the water surface and the
gentle crackling of the ice. It seemed that the Arctic was telling us its own story
of its slowly changing magnificent scenery.
 |
| From left to right: Ruben, Martine, Maarten and Bas © Bas Bolman |
And then our guide Maarten started to tell his story of a
changing Arctic. Increasing temperatures of approximately 2ºC over the last
decades might not give the impression of an enormous change. But in the Arctic,
it’s the difference between snow and rain. In other words, it shouldn’t rain at
Svalbard. Maarten’s research on Arctic bird populations is certainly relevant
here. The Barnacle geese, Eider ducks and Arctic terns population are reduced
this year; does it relate to the change in the Arctic? Or is it a natural
fluctuation over the years and will populations recover over the next years? To
understand the Arctic’s change it is important to do thorough research of its
species and habitats. It is time for stakeholders to sit together and make
plans on the interactions between humans and the Arctic in the future.
Martine from IMARES
explained about the Arctic
Programme of TripleP@Sea, an investment programme of Wageningen UR to build
up an Arctic knowledge base to facilitate the sustainable development of the
Arctic by developing tools, guidelines and standards. These knowledge products
are crucial input for a much larger stakeholder debate on the future of the Arctic.
Where can we exploit activities? Which areas should be closed due to high
ecosystem values? Under what conditions can activities be allowed in the Arctic
Region? How can we effectively map and reduce environmental pressures of e.g.
oil & gas activities?
Touched by the magical blue ice of the glacier and its ever
increasing calving Maarten concluded that maybe it is time for humans to
reconsider their role in the Arctic.
The next stop was at a huge green cliff, east of the
Blomstrand glacier. On this cliff literally thousands of Kittiwakes and
Guillemots are nesting in order to have their offspring soon and provide for a
new generation. The noise of the screaming birds was again overwhelming. On the
way back we passed impressive ice bergs, large blue crystals floating in the
water in an endless variety of shapes. Petrols flying on both sides of the boat
guided us back towards Ny-Ålesund.
Amazed of our experiences we shared our stories late in the
evening with an ice cold beer. In the meantime a polar bear silently crossed
the village…
 |
| Iceberg in Kongsfjorden © Bas Bolman |
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten