North Spitsbergen, Svalbard
So you’ve come to Svalbard for the wildlife, eh? My guess is that even more specifically, you’ve left your relatively warm home in search of the polar bear in its natural environment. This is a journey into “the land of the ice bear” after all. But do you know why the bears are actually here, in Svalbard? Or for that matter, why Svalbard is here near 80 degrees north? The location is key, you know. You will most certainly not see polar bears roaming the wilds of say…the frosty Himalayas. Nor will you find them in the far south of the Antarctic, another frigid climate. So why are they (and the many other species of flora and fauna) here in Svalbard? Obviously there are many factors that can claim responsibility, but it really comes down to just two things mostly: current and plate tectonics. Perplexed? Well, let me explain.
The islands of Svalbard have not always been islands at all. In fact, to paraphrase the great George Lucas: Long, long ago in an ocean far, far away the rocks that make up the terra firma of Svalbard were thousands of feet below the waves. Over time, however, these rocks began to feel the push of the force…okay, not that “force,” but another much less imaginary though infinitely powerful force: plate tectonics. As the earth has matured over the millennia, the various puzzle pieces that make up its crust have shifted vast distances; drifting along on a sea of magma. Now, like that Hummer you’ve seen trying to parallel park on Main Street, there’s really not a lot of room in which these plates can maneuver before an accident happens. And when the plates collide with one another, something’s gotta give. (Luckily for once, it’s not you turning more money over to the insurance company.) These collisions result in a massive upheaval of rock and dirt, which can literally move (and more to the point, form) mountains. Sometimes these form inland, like the Andes and Himalayas, and sometimes the pressure builds at sea and lifts up islands, like Svalbard. That’s why today you can walk and hike into the interior of Svalbard’s islands to find marine fossils embedded into various layers of sedimentary rock that was thrust skywards as the pressure built up below. Sailing along the coast you can often see the layers piled on top of one another in a collage of earthen tones, from bands of dark shale and basalt to lighter shades of tan and even red sandstone.
So where does the current come in? Well, Svalbard’s location happens to sit at the crossroads of several ocean currents. Some come across from northern Russia and drop off a few oddities like driftwood you see here. Another comes down from the higher Arctic bringing in nutrient-rich waters that provide food for the polar cod and, in turn, all the animals that feed upon it. But perhaps most important of these currents is the warm Gulf Stream that sweeps up the western side of the archipelago. Those waters make the archipelago relatively warm, and an inviting home to millions of nesting seabirds. So what does this have to do with polar bears, you ask? Well, for those bears in the archipelago who miss the last ice moving north with the onset of summer, the eggs and chicks of breeding seabirds provide a valuable snack to sustain themselves with while they are marooned on land, and out of reach of their favorite food (the ring seal).
Of course, like the bears, most of us may not really care about the “why” and the “how” of Svalbard, we just enjoy “what” and the “wow.” Today alone, I overheard, “what is that bear doing way up on that rocky hillside?” And later I caught a “Wow, look at how well that bear swims in the water in between the ice!” So, I guess in the end, it really is all about the ice bear…(and the currents, and the geology!)
So you’ve come to Svalbard for the wildlife, eh? My guess is that even more specifically, you’ve left your relatively warm home in search of the polar bear in its natural environment. This is a journey into “the land of the ice bear” after all. But do you know why the bears are actually here, in Svalbard? Or for that matter, why Svalbard is here near 80 degrees north? The location is key, you know. You will most certainly not see polar bears roaming the wilds of say…the frosty Himalayas. Nor will you find them in the far south of the Antarctic, another frigid climate. So why are they (and the many other species of flora and fauna) here in Svalbard? Obviously there are many factors that can claim responsibility, but it really comes down to just two things mostly: current and plate tectonics. Perplexed? Well, let me explain.
The islands of Svalbard have not always been islands at all. In fact, to paraphrase the great George Lucas: Long, long ago in an ocean far, far away the rocks that make up the terra firma of Svalbard were thousands of feet below the waves. Over time, however, these rocks began to feel the push of the force…okay, not that “force,” but another much less imaginary though infinitely powerful force: plate tectonics. As the earth has matured over the millennia, the various puzzle pieces that make up its crust have shifted vast distances; drifting along on a sea of magma. Now, like that Hummer you’ve seen trying to parallel park on Main Street, there’s really not a lot of room in which these plates can maneuver before an accident happens. And when the plates collide with one another, something’s gotta give. (Luckily for once, it’s not you turning more money over to the insurance company.) These collisions result in a massive upheaval of rock and dirt, which can literally move (and more to the point, form) mountains. Sometimes these form inland, like the Andes and Himalayas, and sometimes the pressure builds at sea and lifts up islands, like Svalbard. That’s why today you can walk and hike into the interior of Svalbard’s islands to find marine fossils embedded into various layers of sedimentary rock that was thrust skywards as the pressure built up below. Sailing along the coast you can often see the layers piled on top of one another in a collage of earthen tones, from bands of dark shale and basalt to lighter shades of tan and even red sandstone.
So where does the current come in? Well, Svalbard’s location happens to sit at the crossroads of several ocean currents. Some come across from northern Russia and drop off a few oddities like driftwood you see here. Another comes down from the higher Arctic bringing in nutrient-rich waters that provide food for the polar cod and, in turn, all the animals that feed upon it. But perhaps most important of these currents is the warm Gulf Stream that sweeps up the western side of the archipelago. Those waters make the archipelago relatively warm, and an inviting home to millions of nesting seabirds. So what does this have to do with polar bears, you ask? Well, for those bears in the archipelago who miss the last ice moving north with the onset of summer, the eggs and chicks of breeding seabirds provide a valuable snack to sustain themselves with while they are marooned on land, and out of reach of their favorite food (the ring seal).
Of course, like the bears, most of us may not really care about the “why” and the “how” of Svalbard, we just enjoy “what” and the “wow.” Today alone, I overheard, “what is that bear doing way up on that rocky hillside?” And later I caught a “Wow, look at how well that bear swims in the water in between the ice!” So, I guess in the end, it really is all about the ice bear…(and the currents, and the geology!)
