Table of contents Foreword ... 9 1. Preface ... 10 2. Introduction ... 11 3. Travelling in : Useful, practical and important information ... 14 3.1 Seasons ... 14 3.2 How to travel ... 17 3.2.1 Expedition-style cruising ... 18 3.2.2 Cruise ships ... 19 3.2.3 Sailing ... 20 3.2.4 Staying in ... 22 3.2.5 Individual hiking ... 23 Hiking routes (1): eastern Nordenskiold Land, east coast... 24 Hiking routes (2): Dickson Land ... 29 3.2.6 Organised hiking tours ... 32 3.2.7 Canoe/Sea-kayak ... 49 3.2.8 Skiing... 49 3.2.9 Dog sledging... 50 3.2.10 Snowmobile ... 51 Snowmobile day-tour (1): Tempelfjord ... 59 Snowmobile day-tour (2): east coast... 62 Snowmobile tour (3): ...64 Snowmobile day-tour (4): ... 67 3.2.11 Tracked vehicle (’’Snow Cat”) ... 70 3.2.12 Horse-riding ... 70 3.2.13 Helicopter ... 70 3.2.14 Climbing... 70 3.2.15 Scuba-Diving ... 71 3.2.16 Hunting & fishing ... 71 3.2.17 Bicycle and FatBike ... 72 3.2.18 Bus ... 72 3.2.19 Camper van ... 72 3.3 Tour operators ... 73 3.4 Clothing, hygiene & the environment, photography ... 97 3.5 Getting to ... 101 3.6 Conservation, cultural heritage, protected areas, safety ... 103 3.6.1 Conservation and protected areas ... 103 3.6.2 Cultural heritage ... 110 3.6.3 Polar bears and weapons ... Ill 3.6.4 Communication & safety in the field ... 115 3.6.5 Registration of tours with the administration ... 118 3.6.6 Tent and hut... 120 3.6.7 Other hazards in the field: rivers, glaciers, ice and snow, mud, rabies and other diseases, drinking water, mosquitoes ... 122 3.6.8 Maps and orientation ... 126 3.7 Longyearbyen ... 127 3.7.1 Services and infrastructure ... 127 3.7.2 Accommodation, eating and drinking ... 133 3.7.3 Shopping ... 138 3.7.4 Sights in Longyearbyen ... 139 3.7.5 Activities near Longyearbyen ... 143 Boat trip to Pyramiden ... 147 Boat trip to Barentsburg ... 150 3.7.6 Mountain hikes near Longyearbyen ...152 (1) Plataberg, Nordenskioldfjellet... 152 (2) : Gruvefjellet, Sukkertoppen, Trollsteinen, Sarkofagen, Larsbreen, Longyearbreen ... 156 (3) : Fuglefjella, Grumantbyen ... 159 (4) : Foxfonna ... 160 (5) : Hiorthfjellet... 161 (6) : Hikes near Longyearbyen (without ’’mountain”): ... 162 3.7.7 From coal to space research: Longyearbyen through 100 years ... 163 4. Natural history ... 166 4.1 Geology ... 166 4.2 Geography, glaciers, permafrost... 170 4.3 Oceanic currents ... 173 4.4 Sea ice ... 174 4.5 Driftwood, plastic pollution and environmental toxins ... 176 4.6 Climate and weather ... 179 4.7 Mammals ... 180 4.7.1 Polar bear ... 181, 4.7.2 Arctic fox ... 183, 4.7.3 Svalbard reindeer ... 184, 4.7.4 Bearded seal ... 186, 4.7.5 Ringed seal ... 187, 4.7.6 Harp seal ... 188, 4.7.7 Walrus ... 188, 4.7.8 Harbour seal ... 191,4.7.9 Minke whale ... 209, 4.7.10 White whale (Beluga) ... 210,4.7.11 Humpback whale ... 210, 4.7.12 Fin whale ... 211,4.7.13 Blue whale ... 212, 4.7.14 Bowhead whale ... 213, 4.7.15 White-beaked dolphin ... 214, 4.7.16 Introduced species ... 215, 4.7.17 Invertebrates ... 215 4.8 Birds ... 217 4.8.1 Red-throated diver ... 217, 4.8.2 Northern fulmar ... 218, 4.8.3 Common eider ... 219, 4.8.4 King eider ... 220, 4.8.5 Long-tailed duck ... 221, 4.8.6 Pink-footed goose ... 222, 4.8.7 Barnacle goose ... 223, 4.8.8 Rock ptarmigan ... 224, 4.8.9 Snow bunting ... 224, 4.8.10 Purple sandpiper ... 225, 4.8.11 Grey phalarope ... 226, 4.8.12 Arctic tern ... 226, 4.8.13, Great skua ... 228, 4.8.14 Pomarine skua ... 228, 4.8.15 Arctic skua ... 229, 4.8.16 Long-tailed skua ... 230, 4.8.17 Sabine’s gull ... 230, 4.8.18 Ivory gull ...231, 4.8.19 Ross’gull ... 232,4.8.20 Glaucous gull ... 232, 4.8.21 Great black-backed gull ... 233, 4.8.22 Black-legged Kittiwake ... 234, 4.8.23 Atlantic puffin ... 234, 4.8.24 Common guillemot... 235, 4.8.25 Briinnich’s guillemot... 236, 4.8.26 Little auk ... 237, 4.8.27 Black guillemot... 238 4.9 Plants ... 239 4.9.1 Polar willow ... 257,4.9.2 Dwarf birch ... 258, 4.9.3 Mountain sorrel... 258, 4.9.4 Knotweed ... 259, 4.9.5 Arctic mouse-ear ... 259, 4.9.6 Tundra chickweed ... 259, 4.9.7 Fringed sandwort... 259, 4.9.8 Polar campion or Nodding lychnis ... 260, 4.9.9 Moss campion ... 260, 4.9.10 Snow buttercup ... 260, 4.9.11 Svalbard poppy ... 261, 4.9.12 Scurvy grass ... 261,4.9.13 Whitlow-grasses ... 261, 4.9.14 Purple saxifrage ... 261,4.9.15 Yellow mountain saxifrage ... 262, 4.9.16 Alpine saxifrage ... 262, 4.9.17 Hawkweed-leaved saxifrage ... 262, 4.9.18 Bog saxifrage ... 263, 4.9.19 Drooping saxifrage ... 263, 4.9.20 Tufted saxifrage ... 263, 4.9.21 Spider plant... 263, 4.9.22 Mountain avens ... 264, 4.9.23 Arctic bell-heather ... 264, 4.9.24 Boreal Jacob’s-ladder ... 264, 4.9.25 Polar cress ... 265, 4.9.26 Wooly lousewort... 265, 4.9.27 Arctic cottongrass ... 265, 4.9.28 Arctic dandelion ... 266, 4.9.29 Polar dandelion ... 266, 4.9.30 Grasses, mosses, lichens & fungi ... 266 5. History ... 268 5.1 Vikings ... 269 5.2 Pomors ... 270 5.3 Willem Barentsz ...271 5.4 Whaling in the 17th century ... 272 5.5 Early expeditions and science ... 275 5.6 Attempts to fly to the Pole: and Ny-Alesund ... 280 5.7 Trappers ... 282 5.8 Whaling in the early 20th century ... 284 5.9 The Spitsbergen Treaty ... 285 5.10 Mining ... 286 5.11 The Second World War ... 288 5.12 Spitsbergen after the war ... 290 6. Fjords and islands, settlements and stations: The regions of Svalbard ... 292 6.1 Isfjord ... 295 6.1.1 Kapp Linne/, Russekeila, Festningen ... 296 6.1.2 Gronfjord, Barentsburg ... 301 6.1.3 Grumantbyen, Colesbukta ... 307 6.1.4 Adventfjord ... 309 6.1.5 Sassenfjord, Tempelfjord ... 316 6.1.6 Eastern Dickson Land (Skansbukta, Pyramiden), Billefjord ... 320 6.1.7 Dicksonfjord, western Dickson Land ... 343 6.1.8 Ekmanfjord, Coraholmen, Flintholmen ... 346 6.1.9 Borebukta, Bohemanflya ... 348 6.1.10 Ymerbukta ... 351 6.1.11 Alkhomet, Trygghamna ... 351 6.2 Forlandsund east side ... 354 6.2.1 Daudmannsodden, Farmhamna ... 354 6.2.2 St. Jonsfjord ... 356 6.2.3 Kaffioyra ... 357 6.2.4 Engelskbukta ... 357 6.3 ... 358 6.4 Kongsfjord ... 360 6.4.1 Ny-Alesund ... 363 6.4.2 Inner Kongsfjord ... 372 6.4.3 Blomstrandhalvoya ... 375 6.5 Krossfjord ... 377 6.6 The northern west coast... 382 6.6.1 DeiSju Isfjella ... 382 6.6.2 Hamburgbukta ... 383 6.6.3 Magdalenefjord ... 384 6.7 Northwestern Spitsbergen ... 403 6.7.1 Sorgattet, Bjomfjord, Smeerenburgfjord ... 403 6.7.2 Danskoya ... 406 6.7.3 Amsterdamoya ... 408 6.7.4 Fair Haven, Fuglefjord, Sallyhamna ... 410 6.7.5 Nordvestoyane: Fugloya, Fuglesongen, Klovningen, Ytre Norskoya, Indre Norskoya ... 411 6.8 Raudijord ... 414 6.9 The Woodijord area ... 418 6.9.1 Woodfjord ... 418 6.9.2 Reinsdyrflya, Stasjonsoyane, Andoyane ... 421 6.9.3 Liefdefjord ... 423 6.9.4 Bockfjord ... 425 6.10 Moffen ... 427 6.11 Wijdefjord ... 428 6.12 Ny-Friesland, Verlegenhuken ... 432 6.13 Sorgfjord ... 434 6.14 Hinlopenstretet... 436 Footnote one: Drift ice and circumnavigations ... 438 Footnote two: Through Hinlopenstretet or around Nordaustland? ... 439 6.14.1 Murchisonfjord ... 440 6.14.2 Lomfjord ... 442 6.14.3 Alkefjellet... 444 6.14.4 Wahlenbergljord, Palanderbukta ... 445 6.14.5 The islands in Hinlopenstretet... 448 6.14.6 Augustabukta, Vibebukta ... 451 6.15 Nordaustland ... 452 6.15.1 Lady Franklinfjord, Brennevinsfjord, Lagoya ... 458 6.15.2 Sjuoyane ... 461 6.15.3 Chermsideoya, Nordenskioldbukta, Rijpfjord, Duvefjord, Orvin Land ... 464 6.15.4 Karl XH-oya, Foynoya ... 483 6.15.5 Isispynten, Austfonna, Brasvellbreen ... 485 6.16 Storoya, Kvitoya ... 486 6.17 ... 489 6.18 Spitsbergen's east coast, Storfjord ... 492 6.18.1 Heleysund, Straumsland, Negribreen ...493 6.18.2 Mohnbukta, Dunerbukta, Agardhbukta ... 495 6.18.3 Kvalvagen, Boltodden ... 498 6.18.4 Emil'janovbreen, Hambergbukta, Daudbjompynten ... 500 6.19 Barentsoya ... 502 6.20 Edgeoya ... 505 6.21 Tusenoyane, Halvmaneoya, Ryke Yseoyane ... 511 6.22 ... 515 6.23 Bjomoya ... 520 6.23.1 Southern Bjomoya: The bird cliffs (Hambergfjellet-Sorhamna) ... 526 6.23.2 Western Bjomoya ... 527 6.23.3 Northern Bjomoya: The weather station ... 528 6.23.4 Eastern Bjomoya: Kvalrossbukta, Russehamna, Tunheim ... 546 6.24 Sorkapp Land ... 548 6.25 Homsund ... 551 6.25.1 Gashamna ... 555 6.25.2 Homsundtind, Samarinvagen ... 556 6.25.3 Brepollen ... 556 6.25.4 Burgerbukta, Gnalodden ... 558 6.25.5 Isbjomhamna, Polish research station ... 560 6.26 Hyttevika, Dunoyane, Isoyane, Kapp Borthen ... 561 6.27 Bellsund... 563 6.27.1 RechercheQord ... 566 6.27.2 Van Keulenfjord ... 570 6.27.3 Van Mijenfjord, Akseloya, northern Bellsund ... 572 7. Arctic environmental problems ... 579

AECO ... 582 Thank you ... 583 The author ... 584 Norwegian glossary ... 585 Index ... 585