RÚNA MAGNÚSSON

Science & Illustrations & Photography

Was it the bustling international community of researchers that made my visit to Ny-Alesund so wonderful, or was it just the beautiful hazy sunlight over the fjords and mountains? Luckily sometimes you don’t need to choose between being in the right place as a scientist or feeling at home as a human being.

Getting there already sets the scene; flying in from Longyearbyen over glaciers in a tiny aircraft
And then I found myself in this beautiful miniature community of wooden houses and research facilities
Two of the coloured wooden buildings house the Netherlands Arctic station: www.arcticstation.nl
View from my bedroom window in the German Koldewey Station
Glaciers across the fjord, appearing hazy in the distant air
In permafrost settlements, all infrastructures and cables have to be kept above ground, to protect them from damage due to freeze thaw cycles, and to protect the sensitive tundra ground

One afternoon as I was working in the research site just outside the village, mist came rolling in. I had to leave as the village and surrounding valleys got engulfed by domes of fog (not ideal for polar bear safety). The sun shone above the low-hanging fog and a dreamy atmosphere permeated the village.

Small monitoring fields indicated by chopsticks and flags, with mist rolling in over the village in the background. Moments later I had to leave due to poor sight.
The museum and shop in mysterious hazy sunlight
Right outside of town we find the Amundsen mast, from which airships departed on expeditions to reach the North pole in the nineteen twenties.
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3 responses

  1. Chasing Geese on Storholmen - Rúna Magnússon Avatar
    Chasing Geese on Storholmen – Rúna Magnússon

    […] my fieldwork visit to Ny-Alesund I got to join Maarten Loonen, Mo Verhoeven and their team on a boat trip to the island Storholmen. […]

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  2. Arctic Flora - Rúna Magnússon Avatar
    Arctic Flora – Rúna Magnússon

    […] south-facing slopes. Chickweed (Cerastium sp.) flowers in front of the German Koldewey station in Ny-Alesund. Cerastium alpinum and Cerastium arcticum are pretty much impossible to tell apart, although based […]

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  3. Mirages - Rúna Magnússon Avatar
    Mirages – Rúna Magnússon

    […] Netherlands Arctic Station in Ny-Alesund Cottongrass (Eriophorum scheuchzerii) in Adventdalen The Amundsen mast in Ny-Alesund Using […]

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Rúna Magnússon