Travel Diary: Svalbard, Norway
by Leah Perrotti
LW contributor
We recently took an exhilarating expedition trip to Svalbard, Norway. Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, located at the top of the world. It contains endless areas of unspoiled, raw Arctic wilderness. It consists of islands between 74 degrees and 81 degrees north latitude and 10 degrees and 35 degrees east longitude. We were just 600 miles south of the North Pole and didn’t get to see Santa. The temperature every day was between 40 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit. We cruised on a yacht with 100 like-minded people and explored the islands via Zodiacs (small rubber rafts) twice a day to observe these breathtaking views of nature. Our expedition was full of contrasts and amazing nature-based experiences.
The arctic silence creates a unique atmosphere where we experienced tranquility that is virtually unparalleled anywhere else on earth. There were 24 hours of continuous daylight, so we had plenty of time to enjoy every minute. We saw majestic mountains, blue sea ice, glaciers, and the rich animal life that dominates the landscape. We observed polar bears— “The King of the Ice”—killer whales, mink whales, beluga gray whales, walruses, ring and bearded seals, dolphins, reindeer and arctic fox.
The region is home to many bird species that include my favorite—the puffin. Unfortunately, we saw global warming up close. While cruising in the Zodiacs, we saw glaciers calving at least every 5-10 minutes. The glacial ice is melting at an alarming rate which accounts for much of the bizarre weather that Earth is experiencing now. The Arctic is one of the ecosystems that is most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, as it is warming at least twice the rate of average in other regions. Melting land ice sheets and glaciers contribute dramatically to sea level rise around the globe, which affects animal and plant life. If you haven’t already, you might want to include this adventure on your bucket list—it was fantastic!
A bearded seal
A puffin
A walrus
