A project of the International Polar Year
Svalbard, 2-13 July 2007
Main sponsors
(Through IPY projects BIAC: Bipolar Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation and iAOOS: The integrated Arctic Ocean Observing System )
Other sponsors
Location
The sea-ice summer school was held at 78°N on the campus of the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS). UNIS is located in Longyearbyen, which is the largest city on the Archipelago of Svalbard with roughly 2000 inhabitants. Because of the high latitude at which the school will took place, the sun did not set during the entire duration of the school, which gave both participants and lecturers a lot of additional energy for evening hikes in the surrounding mountains.
The student accomodation in Nybyen
The participants of the school found housing in the UNIS student accomodation in Nybyen, which is located at the Southern end of Longyearbyen. Every participant had his own room and shared the bath room with one other student. The kitchens were shared with 5-6 other students. Communal dinners cooked by the participants in their kitchens offered plenty of opportunity to get to know both each other and to enjoy culinaric feasts from all over the world.
Longyearbyen is located on Spitsbergen, which is the largest island of the archipelago of Svalbard. About two thirds of Svalbard are (currently) covered with glaciers, and two of them are located only a few minutes from the student houses in Nybyen.
The second largest settlement on Svalbard is the Russian city of Barentsburg with roughly 600 inhabitants. During a day-long boat excursion, participants of the school got a chance to visit this special place, which is still an active coal-mining community.