Health Services in Svalbard

Polar Record ◽  
1979 ◽  
Vol 19 (123) ◽  
pp. 597-604
Author(s):  
Sixten S. R. Haraldson
Keyword(s):  
Social Services ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
The West ◽  
Average Temperature ◽  
The North ◽  
The World ◽  
Annual Average Temperature ◽  
The Arctic Region

Independent of latitude, scattered populations all over the world need specially designed health and social services with much higher per capita costs than in densely populated parts of the world. This is particularly true of the Arctic region with its harsh environmental conditions and constraints apply. Indeed, it is even more important to establish the nature of numerical highly individual native cultures. In spite of its northerly position, Svalbard (77–80°N) has a relatively mild climate which offers an environment less inhospitable than might be expected at this latitude. The climate, especially on the main island, Spitsbergen, is influenced by an extreme tail of the North Atlantic Drift which keeps the waters of the west and north coasts open for half the year. Extreme Arctic temperatures are rare. Spitsbergen's temperature fluctuates by about 20°C, whereas in castern Siberia the range can be three times as great. The annual average temperature on the west coast is −5°C, seldom falling below −30°C. July is usually around +5°C with an occasional maximum of +20°C. Therefore, the health problems often associated with extremely cold climates are not common in Svalbard.

scholarly journals Variability of mixed-phase clouds in the Arctic with a focus on the Svalbard region: a study based on spaceborne active remote sensing

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 2445-2461 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Mioche ◽  
O. Jourdan ◽  
M. Ceccaldi ◽  
J. Delanoë
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
North Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
Supercooled Liquid ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
Mixed Phase Clouds ◽  
The Arctic Region

Abstract. The Arctic region is known to be very sensitive to climate change. Clouds and in particular mixed-phase clouds (MPCs) remain one of the greatest sources of uncertainties in the modelling of the Arctic response to climate change due to an inaccurate representation of their variability and their quantification. In this study, we present a characterisation of the vertical, spatial and seasonal variability of Arctic clouds and MPCs over the entire Arctic region based on satellite active remote sensing observations. MPC properties in the region of the Svalbard archipelago (78° N, 15° E) are also investigated. The occurrence frequency of clouds and MPCs are determined from CALIPSO/CLOUDSAT measurements processed with the DARDAR retrieval algorithm, which allow for a reliable cloud thermodynamic phase classification (warm liquid, supercooled liquid, ice, mixing of ice and supercooled liquid). Significant differences are observed between MPC properties over the entire Arctic region and over the Svalbard region. Results show that MPCs are encountered all year long, with a minimum occurrence of 30% in winter and 50% during the rest of the year on average over the entire Arctic. Over the Svalbard region, MPC occurrence is more constant with time with larger values (55%) compared to the average observed in the Arctic. MPCs are especially located at low altitudes, below 3000 m, where their frequency of occurrence reaches 90%, particularly during winter, spring and autumn. Moreover, results highlight that MPCs are statistically more frequent above open sea than land or sea ice. The temporal and spatial distribution of MPCs over the Svalbard region seems to be linked to the supply of moister air and warmer water from the North Atlantic Ocean, which contribute to the initiation of the liquid water phase. Over the whole Arctic, and particularly in western regions, the increase of MPC occurrence from spring to autumn could be connected to the sea ice melting. During this period, the open water transports some of the warm water from the North Atlantic Ocean to the rest of the Arctic region. This facilitates the vertical transfer of moisture and thus the persistence of the liquid phase. Particular attention is also paid to the measurement uncertainties and how they could affect our conclusions.

Problems of development of Arctic hydrocarbon resources under the current conditions.

2021 ◽  
pp. 70-81
Author(s):  
Anna Borisovna Nikolaeva ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Alternative Energy ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Recovery Period ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Expert Assessment ◽  
Low Level ◽  
The World ◽  
The Arctic Region

The Arctic is the richest and at the same time the most difficult region to develop in the world. Exploration and exploitation of its deposits are inevitable for Russia and mankind as a whole. The Arctic region is characterized by extreme nature-climatic conditions, with a rather low level of economic development and remoteness from industrial centers, a low level or lack of any infrastructure as well as by instability of the ecological system to anthropogenic impact and a long recovery period. Since the potential of the resources currently being developed will be exhausted within several decades, and the world economies are not yet ready for a full transition to alternative energy resources, it is necessary to search for and develop new hydrocarbon reserves that determines the relevance of the study.The aim of the study is to identify the main problems arising when exploiting hydrocarbons in the Arctic region. The set of problems identified predetermines an integrated approach to their solutions. In this case, it is about reforming legislation, increasing funding, and attracting new participants in the international cooperation. Since the export of oil and gas is traditional for the Russian Federation, exploitation of hydrocarbons in the region is a prerequisite for the further economic development of the country. A state policy aimed at development and improvement of new technologies, reducing environmental risks, and deep scientific research of the Arctic, is needed. The method of expert assessment was used, which is applied for solving complex tasks with lack of information, and impossibility of mathematical formalization of the solution process. The basis for the application of this method is the possibility and ability of experts to assess the importance of the problem under study and development prospects for a certain research direction. The expert assessments were highlighted during the study and analysis of the literature.

scholarly journals CMIP5 Projections of Arctic Amplification, of the North American/North Atlantic Circulation, and of Their Relationship

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (13) ◽  
pp. 5254-5271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Barnes ◽  
Lorenzo M. Polvani
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Cmip5 Models ◽  
Arctic Amplification ◽  
Arctic Warming ◽  
The North ◽  
Sequence Of Events

Abstract Recent studies have hypothesized that Arctic amplification, the enhanced warming of the Arctic region compared to the rest of the globe, will cause changes in midlatitude weather over the twenty-first century. This study exploits the recently completed phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) and examines 27 state-of-the-art climate models to determine if their projected changes in the midlatitude circulation are consistent with the hypothesized impact of Arctic amplification over North America and the North Atlantic. Under the largest future greenhouse forcing (RCP8.5), it is found that every model, in every season, exhibits Arctic amplification by 2100. At the same time, the projected circulation responses are either opposite in sign to those hypothesized or too widely spread among the models to discern any robust change. However, in a few seasons and for some of the circulation metrics examined, correlations are found between the model spread in Arctic amplification and the model spread in the projected circulation changes. Therefore, while the CMIP5 models offer some evidence that future Arctic warming may be able to modulate some aspects of the midlatitude circulation response in some seasons, the analysis herein leads to the conclusion that the net circulation response in the future is unlikely to be determined solely—or even primarily—by Arctic warming according to the sequence of events recently hypothesized.

COLLECTIVE SECURITY IN THE ARCTIC REGION: INSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGES OF CONTEMPORARY PROCESSES OF REGIONALIZATION

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergey Rabkin
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
Cognitive Factors ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Economic Systems ◽  
Collective Security ◽  
New Model ◽  
The World ◽  
Institutional Challenges ◽  
The Arctic Region

The search for a new model of collective security is one of the most important institutional challenges in a multipolar world. Despite the fact that modern processes of regionalization are increasingly determined by cognitive factors, the Arctic region is becoming a macro-region of the world, where the balance of national interest of countries with different economic systems can determine the institutional criteria for future global interaction or confrontation in achieving the goals of sustainable development.

scholarly journals Cultural Identities in Sustaining Religious Communities in the Arctic Region: An Ethnographic Analysis of Religiosity from the Northern Viewpoint

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 51-67
Author(s):  
Nafisa Yeasmin
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Region ◽  
Religious Communities ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Minority Community ◽  
The North ◽  
Muslim Minority ◽  
European Arctic ◽  
Secular Society ◽  
Ethnographic Analysis ◽  
The Arctic Region

AbstractNorthern countries are facing the challenges of declining human capital, and admitting immigrants, many of whom belong to religious minorities, to satisfy the demand for labour. If northern societies accept multiculturalism and immigrants, they should not disregard the cultures and religious practices (for example, ritual slaughter) of immigrants, as they need to survive and integrate as a minority community in a secular society. However, there is clash between secularism and religions permitting animal slaughter, which is prohibited by some and allowed by other European countries. Community viability and sustainability depend partly on the exercise of community beliefs and ideology that support identity behaviour. This study will present an ethnographic analysis of the religiosity related to ritual slaughter and Muslim cultural identity in the European Arctic region and explore how religious relativism and practice sustain the community and support the overall integration of the Muslim minority in the North.

scholarly journals The Arctic Five: search for a balance of power in the region

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 276-287
Author(s):  
I. S. Doroshenko
Keyword(s):  
Development Strategy ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
Balance Of Power ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
The North ◽  
Northern Latitudes ◽  
The Development Strategy ◽  
Northern Territories ◽  
The Arctic Region

Due to climate change, the Arctic region becomes a place of geopolitical rivalry of both Arctic and non-Arctic states. Traditional formats for determining the agenda in the region are effective, but with the advent of the interest of an increasing number of international actors, these formats are transforming, which may affect the balance of power in the region. The growing activity of Asian countries in the Arctic, primarily China, is forcing regional states to make adjustments to the development strategy of the region. The rapid renewal of its potential in the northern territories of Russia caused a negative reaction from the western countries, especially after 2014.Such aspirations have emerged as the internationalization of the region by Northern Europe and China, the desire to draw clear boundaries on the part of Russia and Canada, and the buildup of US influence on its colleagues in the North Atlantic bloc. This situation may cause an uncontrolled increase in tension in the region, especially if new alliances between the Arctic and non-Arctic countries are created. The author considers the current approaches of the countries of the Arctic five, analyzes the true motives of internationalization and the role of the format of the Arctic five in maintaining a balance of power and stability in the northern latitudes.

scholarly journals SEISMICITY of the ARCTIC in 2015

2021 ◽  
pp. 210-216
Author(s):  
A. Morozov ◽  
G. Avetisov ◽  
G. Antonovskaya ◽  
V. Asming ◽  
S. Baranov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Station ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Earthquake Catalog ◽  
Svalbard Archipelago ◽  
Ocean Ridges ◽  
The North ◽  
Franz Josef Land ◽  
Barents And Kara Seas ◽  
The Arctic Region

The article provides an overview and analysis of seismicity within the boundaries of the Arctic region for 2015, a description of seismic station networks, and processing methods. The catalog of earthquakes in the Arctic region was compiled on the basis of catalogs of several organizations and seismological centers. In total, 334 earthquakes are included in the earthquake catalog. Most of the earthquakes that occurred in 2015, including all the strongest earthquakes, were located within the mid-ocean ridges of Mon, Knipovich and Gakkel. In the offshore territories, most of the earthquakes were confined to the Svalbard archipelago, in particular, to the seismically active zone in the Sturfjord strait. The renewal of instrumental seismological observations in 2011 (station ZFI) on Alexandra Land Island in the Franz Josef Land archipelago made it possible to record weak earthquakes in the north of the shelf of the Barents and Kara Seas. For twelve earthquakes, the focal mechanism parameters are presented according to the Global CMT catalog.

scholarly journals The specificity of Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Sofia Khusainova
Keyword(s):  
Russian Federation ◽  
Political Action ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Council ◽  
National Interests ◽  
The North ◽  
Leading Role ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
The Arctic Region

The subject of this research is the policy of the Russian Federation in the Arctic. The object is Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023. The author meticulously analyzes the positions of the state, taking into account national interests and peculiarities of the current international situation in the region. The article examines the domestic legislative acts adopted for regulation of the Arctic Region, as well as international documents aimed at sustainable development of the North. The conditions of collective security dictate moderate and clearly defined policy in the Arctic, which is the central arena for political action with the leading role of the Russian Federation until 2023. The conclusion is drawn that the Arctic Region is currently the most relevant vector of the policy of northern states. Chairmanship of the Russian Federation imposes enormous responsibility on the country, as despite the overall state of security in the region, there remains a range of unresolved issues. The attempts of institutionalization of the Arctic Council may become an implicit threat for the Russian Federation; this is why the systematization of domestic legislation and foreign policy actions on maintaining the health of ecosystem, cultural heritage, and environmental policy have become the priority vectors in the first year of Russia’s chairmanship. The overall responsibility of the leading actor the Arctic does not exclude the existence of classic threats to the security of state’s sovereignty, which requires accurate planning in subsequent years of the chairmanship.

An Environmentally Literate Explorer

Sibirica ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 13-40
Author(s):  
Seija A. Niemi
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Region ◽  
Environmental Literacy ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
The North ◽  
Trade Route ◽  
The Arctic Region

Nils Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld (1832–1901), a Finnish Swedish scientist and explorer, made three expeditions to the North Asian coast between 1875 and 1879. He completed ten expeditions to the Arctic region between 1858 and 1883. The unifying goal of the North Asian expeditions was to open a trade route between Europe and Siberia. As a scientist, Nordenskiöld also studied the flora, fauna, geology, geography, hydrology, meteorology, ethnology, and history, and produced charts of this unfamiliar territory. This article argues that Nordenskiöld used his skills of environmental literacy when he combined the commercial and scientific goals of his expeditions. He also had the ability to deal with the environment in practical and rational terms, which I argue is also one expression of environmental literacy.

The Northern forum as a successful model for the implementation of the identity of intra-state actors in the Arctic region

2020 ◽  
pp. 28-34
Author(s):  
A. Lukin
Keyword(s):  
International Relations ◽  
Multinational Corporations ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Successful Model ◽  
Administrative Functions ◽  
The World ◽  
Common Problems ◽  
Political Governance ◽  
The Arctic Region

The process of transforming international relations goes on under the influence of globalization mechanisms together with the development of integration processes. The establishment of more complex and at the same time simple mechanisms of cooperation in the system of international relations between its actors is the result of a change in the methods of introducing cases. Moving away from the classical principles of cooperation-diplomatic contacts, alliances, the world ceases to be a bipolar system of world device, thanks to the process of globalization, a multipolar world structure is being built with the new actors inherent in the globalization process, gives an example of multinational corporations and NGOs. Under the influence of globalization, the usual tools of international politics are being modified, since within the framework of the new system of transnational interaction, national states are forced to adapt to a changing, interconnected and interdependent world in which there is no longer a clear division between external and internal affairs. State power is forced to transform, transferring to a larger extent part of its functions to supranational structures, sharing its administrative functions with these structures and creating new models of world political governance. The Northern Forum acts as an organization uniting the regions of the subjects for solving common problems in the Arctic region.

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