– The snow means everything to the system here, says Mads Forchhammer, professor of arctic biology at the university center on Svalbard.
He points inwards to Bjørndalen, which he calls a laboratory. Here he brings students to take a closer look at how global warming is affecting ecosystems.
Temperatures have risen faster in the Svalbard region than anywhere else in the world. Since the 60s, the temperature has risen by 5.6 degrees.
– MONITOR: Mads Forchhammer monitors what climate change does to nature. Photo: Tom Rune Orset / TV 2
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– We see changes in the vegetation. We see that southern species come in, the birds come earlier. There are many signs that the Arctic is warming up, says Forchhammer.
He explains how everything is connected. From tiny plankton in the ocean, to the polar bear, which for many has become a symbol of climate change.
– The organisms live in a system, so when an organism is affected, the change spreads throughout the system, he explains.
Reindeer die
Forchhammer specializes in reindeer research. And for them, climate change has had dramatic consequences during the winter.
Warmer winters cause the snow to melt. There is also often rain, which settles on top of the snow. Eventually, layers of ice form, which means that the reindeer do not get down to the food.
– Then they become malnourished and die, says Forchhammer.
During the winter, researchers have found hundreds of reindeer that have starved to death. Nevertheless, the reindeer population on Svalbard has increased.
– SVALBARD REINDEER: In Svalbard, reindeer are found in all areas that are not covered by glaciers. Photo: Tom Rune Orset / TV 2
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– When it comes to climate change, it can be said that some species are losers and some are winners. The reindeer on Svalbard are both, says Forchhammer.
Because in the summer, the rise in temperature means that there is much more food for the reindeer to be found. It has so far offset the winter food shortage. But that may change.
– If the winters get worse, and you get a lot more ice, it can have negative consequences, says Forchhammer.
– GOOD IN THE SUMMER: Bjørndalen, west of Longyearbyen, is a good grazing place for reindeer in the summer. Photo: Tom Rune Orset / TV 2
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Experts estimate that the annual rainfall on Svalbard will increase by 45-65 percent, occur more often and to a greater extent come as rain instead of snow, according to Cicero.
Exciting and scary
Svalbard has become a kind of showcase for global warming, and many are closely following developments here.
The fact that the temperature has risen so quickly in Svalbard makes it a very exciting place – from a researcher’s point of view, says Forchhammer. At the same time, the development is frightening.
– We humans affect the climate. I personally feel a responsibility to go in and find out what is happening to nature, he says.
The research that takes place in Bjørndalen on Svalbard is a small piece in a big puzzle that must be solved if one is to understand what global warming is doing to the world.
– EXHIBITION WINDOW: Due to the rapid rise in temperature, Svalbard has become a showcase for which changes in temperature rise can lead. Photo: Tom Rune Orset / TV 2
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Lessons from here can also be useful if the temperature continues to rise elsewhere in the world.
– We call this a laboratory, so what we find out about how climate change affects the systems up here, is something you can use further south, both in agriculture and in management, he says.
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