Weather

Guest

Can you tell us something about the expected and extremes regarding weather in the Svalbard area? How does being a collection of islands in the Arctic create weather and climate patterns that are different than those one might expect to find in the Arctic? What ocean currents come into play and how do they influence the weather and climate of the area?

Joined: 23 Mar 2004 Posts: 64

Hello Hector,

Thank you for visiting our site and for posting your question!

I am embedding a diagram to help orient you to the geographical location of Svalbard. Knowing where Svalbard is located will help you better understand the reason for the varied weather conditions we have experienced.

As you can see, Svalbard sits in the northern part of the Arctic Ocean, between Greenland and Scandinavia. Its location is a kind of gateway for both the water and air currents, and the gatekeeper might be the milder maritime currents from the south on one day and then change to the cold polar currents from the north at another time.

Yes, the weather in Svalbard can be brutally cold! Generally, however, Svalbard climate is actually milder than other Arctic places at the same latitude. The average annual temperature is –4ºC (+25ºF). The average low, generally in January, is around -16ºC (+3ºF). The average high temperature, generally in July is +6ºC (43ºF). During our time at Isfjord, the temperature was most often a bit colder than the average expected temperature, and one must also remember to factor for wind chill. The winds on Svalbard van be quite fierce.

The Gulf Stream actually reaches the west coast of Svalbard, often bringing relatively warm water and warm air from the south to meet with the polar water and air from the north. This often creates sharp gradients in temperature, which lead to high wind speeds and rapidly changing conditions. Fog is quite common during the summer, as we have experienced, since the land is often considerably cooler than the surrounding seas. Though the relative humidity can be high, the air so far north is generally so cold that it can hold very little moisture. This leads to very little precipitation falling in these regions. That being said, we have experience several consecutive days with a constant cold drizzle that contributed to cold and harsh field conditions. Sometimes the drizzle was fused with freezing rain and sleet, especially at the lake and on the glacier where the research was focused. Because of the minimal average rainfall and the low temperatures, there are parts of Svalbard that can be described as being "arctic desert".

I was fascinated by the ever-present (though sometimes not seen due to weather conditions) sun. It appears as having a rather flat orbit so far to the north. In Longyearbyen at mid-summer the sun is positioned about 35º above the horizon during the day and about 11º at night. Though I have not experienced it having never been in Svalbard during the winter, I am told that during mid-winter the sun is at the most around 11º under the horizon at mid-day. The moons orbit lies in about the same plane as the Earth's orbit around the sun. During the winter the full moon therefore behaves like the sun does during the summer, shining all day and all night! I have been told that one does not see a new moon at all during the winter. During the summer the situation is the opposite. Then the full moon is under the horizon and not seen. The winter darkness is often brightened by the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis), but again, not being here during the winter I have not been able to experience this beautiful phenomenon.

Thanks for the question and opportunity to answer. Post again soon!