Svalbard has a Crucial Role in Understanding Arctic Pollution – ICEBERG Project Returns for Second Field Season

The EU-funded ICEBERG project’s research activities in Svalbard focus on studying the sources and distribution of various pollutants, such as organic chemicals, macro- and microplastics, and heavy metals, as well as their impacts on the Arctic ecosystem. The concrete work in the archipelago entails collecting snow, ice, water and sediment samples across Svalbard and removing and analysing marine litter from the distant shores of Sørkappland.

“These pollutants originate from diverse sources, such as everyday products like tires, plastic objects, clothing, paints, and personal care items, as well as marine debris transported by ocean currents and atmosphere. They can have significant impacts on the fragile Arctic ecosystem, for example harming wildlife and ending up in the food web,” says Thora Herrmann from the University of Oulu, the co-leader of the ICEBERG consortium.

Svalbard is critical for understanding Arctic pollution

ICEBERG completed its first field season in Svalbard last year (2024) resulting in 330 samples of snow, sediments and freshwater as well as over 2100 kilograms of marine litter collected and analysed. The goal for this year is to collect more samples in Ny-Ålesund, around Longyearbyen and Sørkappland, and to recover plastic from a long-term incubation experiment in both Kongsfjorden and the Fram Strait, with a focus on the East Greenland Current. The project will also continue the beach clean-up and marine litter analysis in Sørkappland.

“Svalbard’s high latitude, combined with ocean currents and atmospheric deposition, makes it a critical site for understanding how pollutants accumulate in the Arctic,” explains Tommaso Tesi from Institute of Polar Sciences of the National Research Council in Italy, one of the ICEBERG consortium partners.

“The ocean currents make the Arctic a dead end for marine litter and the associated contaminants coming from lower latitudes. That is why research in Svalbard provides valuable insights into the long-range transport and impacts of pollution,” adds Adam Nawrot from the forScience Foundation, a Polish NGO responsible for the task related to marine litter.

Citizens are invited to participate in the research

In addition to collecting samples and marine litter, this year the ICEBERG project will also invite local citizens to take active part in workshops in Longyearbyen in August. The workshops will be organized in parallel with consultation meetings hosted by ArcSolution, ICEBERG and ILLUQ – all EU projects funded under the same call.

“In the workshops we will use scenario-building exercises with residents to explore different future outcomes and develop potential solutions to pollution. We’ll share more information on how to participate closer to the event,” says Élise Lépy from University of Oulu, the co-leader of the ICEBERG consortium.

Watch our video about the Svalbard field research

Videos and photos by courtesy of the forScience Foundation.

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