Svalbard Climate change
How the warming climate is changing Svalbard, from temperatures and glaciers to sea ice and permafrost, and the research that measures it.
Where it stands
The government's Svalbard white paper, Meld. St. 26, says Svalbard is warming five to seven times as fast as the world. Since 1971, the yearly mean temperature in Longyearbyen has risen by almost 5 °C, and by almost 8 °C in winter.
Glacier fronts ending in the sea pulled back faster in 2026 than in any year since Norsk Polarinstitutt (the Norwegian Polar Institute) began charting them in 2013. The record before was set in 2025. Ten glaciers withdrew completely onto land in those two years.
In summer 2024, Svalbard's glaciers lost about 1% of all their ice in a few months, the fastest melt season recorded there.
The PermaRICH research project mapped where thawing permafrost could harm 639 heritage sites and 1,028 modern buildings in Longyearbyen. Its data will go into a permafrost monitoring system being built in the town.
Reports
November 2025
- Summary20 November 2025“Mercury can leak out and become a threat to marine life”The Barents Observer
- Summary5 November 2025Svalbard Fjord Absorbs More Greenhouse Gases Than It EmitsHigh North News
October 2025
- Summary18 October 2025Record levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Actions needed now, Greenpeace saysThe Barents Observer
September 2025
- Summary25 September 2025Record-breaking glacier melt on SvalbardThe Barents Observer
August 2025
- Summary11 August 2025Arctic lakes may contribute to global warming more than previously thoughtThe Barents Observer
April 2025
- Summary25 April 2025A Svalbard glacier once survived a warmer climateThe Barents Observer
- Summary1 April 2025Polar bears on Svalbard tend to leave dens earlierThe Barents Observer
March 2025
- Summary21 March 2025Glaciers in Europe have retreated by kilometresThe Barents Observer
- Summary20 March 2025'Warming Arctic causes heat waves, floods in Europe'The Barents Observer
- Summary11 March 202517th century graves on Svalbard are threatened by rising temperaturesThe Barents Observer
- Summary3 March 2025Surprising discovery about Svalbard's largest glacierThe Barents Observer
February 2025
- Summary19 February 2025“We are playing with fire. It highlights the urgency for action”The Barents Observer
- In full9 February 2025Kings Bay re-founds the Harland Cox building on steel pilesKings Bay
January 2025
- Summary16 January 2025Urgent need for better monitoring of sinking ground across the Arctic says studyThe Barents Observer
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