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Ny-Ålesund (79°N) is an international base for research in all sciences involving
the arctic marine, terrestrial and atmospheric environments. The main activities
are
related to climate research and environmental monitoring.
Ny-Ålesund is managed by Kings Bay AS that provides transportation,
accommodation, meals and logistics for the research community.
Office space and laboratories are offered by both, Kings Bay AS and
the individual research stations. Researchers that work in
Ny-Ålesund have to be associated to one (or several) of the permanent
research stations in Ny-Ålesund. If you would like to work in Ny-Ålesund,
but have no association to any of the stations, please contact the Sverdrup Station from The
Norwegian Polar Institute.
The
Norwegian authorities have designated Ny-Ålesund to be a 'green' scientific station, where scientists
should get access to a near pristine environment and where local pollution
is kept at a minimum. Ny-Ålesund is also a “radio silent area", permitting the effective use of passive receiving equipment.
Many of the research projects are carried out in international cooperation.
For the period 2006- 2009 Ny-Ålesund has the status of a European Centre for
Arctic Environmental Research with support from the European Union (Research
infrastructure Program in EU).
For funding opportunities, check the Arctic
Field Grant.
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The research base Ny-Ålesund (Photo: L. Bakken).
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Permanent research stations in Ny-Ålesund:
For more detailed information about the research stations see:
http://www.kingsbay.no/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=127&Itemid=118
Station contacts:
http://www.kingsbay.no/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=140&Itemid=128
Other research institutes engaged in larger research projects
in Ny-Ålesund:
For more detailed information about the institutions see:
http://www.kingsbay.no/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=144&Itemid=120
Ny-Ålesund Science Managers Committee NySMAC
| NySMAC is a committee consisting of representatives
from all research stations in Ny-Ålesund. As observers act Kings Bay
AS, Svalbard Science Forum and The Research Council of Norway. The
aim of NySMAC is to enhance cooperation and coordination amongst
research activities, to ensure that ongoing and
planned research is not in conflict with environmental laws and
regulations, and to provide advice on issues such as research
planning and coordination, infrastructure development, and
environmental protection.
NySMAC-webpage:
http://npolar.no/nysmac/
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Science Plan for the Kongsfjorden International
Research Base
The Ny-Ålesund
mission statement declares overall goals for the entire Kongsfjorden
area. The goal of the Ny-Ålesund Science Plan is to continue developing
Ny-Ålesund as a premier international Arctic research and monitoring
facility.
The science plan has been developed by the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI)
upon request by the Research Council of Norway (RCN) in a transparent
process involving all international research partners in Ny-Ålesund. The
current version is valid for the period 2010-2013 and was endorsed by NySMAC
on 21 May 2010, adopted by SSF and made effective on 12 June 2010.
Download:
Ny-Ålesund Science Plan (PDF,
386 kb)
Flagship programmes
The Ny-Ålesund Science Plan includes the implementation of flagship programs in order to bundle the
research focus and join forces of all international research partners,
release the full potential of all complementary research and with that
increase the influence of KIRB in the scientific debate. Following flagships
are currently established or in planning:
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Reports
In 1995 there was a growing concern that the rapid expansion might cause
significant local environmental effects and conflicts with scientific
activities. A thorough Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report was
finished in 1998 (Shears et al. 1998), including a Environmental Action Plan.
In 2006 the EIA report was reviewed and updated (Sander et al. 2006).
Download the documents here:
EIA
report 2006 (PDF, 1.4 Mb)
EIA
report 2006 - Appendix (PDF, 489 Kb)
EIA
report 1998 (PDF, 9.5 Mb)
Long-term Biodiversity Research (LTBR)
Kongsfjorden has been selected as site for 'Long-term Biodiversity Research
(LTBR)' within the framework of two EU programmes BIOMARE and MARBENA. The
EU 5th Framework Concerted Action BIOMARE (2000- 2002) generated the idea of
European Marine Biodiversity Sites (EMBS) - a selection of localities where
marine biodiversity research will be focused in the coming years. MARBENA,
another Shared Cost Activity of the EU, deals with the implementation of the
BIOMARE research agenda. Following this, a webpage has been established with
information about environmental variables and marine biodiversity in
Kongsfjorden.
Web Page for European Marine Biodiversity Research Svalbard Sites -
Kongsfjorden & Hornsund:
http://www.iopan.gda.pl/projects/biodaff/index.html
Commercial trawling regulations in the Kongsfjorden
area
Since 2 February 2007, a major part of Kongsfjorden has been closed for
commercial fish trawling. For more information:
http://ssf.npolar.no/pages/news078.htm
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The scientific activities – some examples
Research in Ny-Ålesund includes all sciences involving the
arctic marine, terrestrial and atmospheric environments,
for example:
- Climate change and arctic ecosystems
- Basic functioning of arctic ecosystems
- Biodiversity and environmental variability
- Stratospheric change, ozone and UV-radiation
- Effect of UV-radiation on arctic terrestrial and marine biota
- Long range transport of pollutants
- Bioaccumulation of POPs and heavy metals in arctic food chains
- Arctic cloud, radiation and aerosol interactions
- Glacier mass balance, runoff, arctic snow and ice
- Auroral research, ionospheric and magnetospheric processes
- Space geodesy and geodetic techniques in atmospheric and climate research
- Earth observation systems
Ny-Ålesund promotes:
- New complementary research activities that do not duplicate existing
research
- High ethical standards with respect to experiments involving animals
and humans
- A research environment with open and free exchange of scientific
data
- A research environment based on trust and respect for the
intellectual property rights
- Joint research activities involving new trans-national
collaborations
- The continued emphasis on monitoring and the protection of long term
data series
- Research and operational activities utilizing green technologies
Ny-Ålesund does not support:
- Proprietary research
- Industrial or commercial prospecting for potential resource
exploitation
- Research activities that pollute or permanently disturb the local
environment
- Activities that have negative impact on, and reduce the quality of
existing research
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