The world’s northernmost airport, a crucial lifeline for a remote Arctic community, is facing an existential threat: melting permafrost. Svalbard Airport, located in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, was built on what was once considered permanently frozen ground. Now, due to the rapidly warming Arctic, this icy foundation is thawing, jeopardizing the runway’s stability and the future of the region.
A Lifeline in the High North
Svalbard Airport (LYR) serves as the primary connection between the archipelago’s 2,500 residents and mainland Norway. Two airlines, SAS and Norwegian, operate year-round flights to Longyearbyen, the main settlement on the islands, ensuring the delivery of essential supplies, facilitating tourism, and providing access to the outside world.
The Permafrost Problem
The 2,300-meter runway was constructed in the early 1970s on a thick layer of permafrost, ground that has remained frozen for at least two years. However, the Arctic is warming at a rate two to three times faster than the rest of the world, causing the permafrost to thaw at an alarming rate. This thawing weakens the ground beneath the runway, leading to subsidence and cracking.
Ragnhild Kommisrud, the airport’s manager, explains the challenges: “During the summer months, we must check the runway meticulously every day because the soil might subside at any point. This is a challenge that we only expect to get worse with time.”
Consequences of a Runway Closure
If the runway were to become unusable, the consequences for Svalbard would be severe:
- Supply disruptions: Locals would have to rely on ships to bring essential supplies, a journey that takes up to four days roundtrip from the nearest port.
- Economic impact: Tourism, which has replaced coal mining as the main economic activity in the region, would likely decline, leading to job losses.
- Accessibility issues: Residents would face significant challenges traveling to and from the mainland for medical care, education, and other essential services.
Climate Change in Svalbard: A Double Whammy
The melting permafrost at Svalbard Airport is just one symptom of the broader climate change impacts affecting the archipelago. Other challenges include:
- Melting glaciers: Svalbard’s glaciers are retreating at an accelerated pace, contributing to sea-level rise and altering the landscape.
- Coastal erosion: Thawing permafrost and reduced sea ice are increasing coastal erosion, threatening settlements and infrastructure.
- Changes in wildlife patterns: Warming temperatures are affecting the distribution and behavior of Arctic wildlife, including polar bears, reindeer, and seabirds.
Adapting to a Thawing World
Authorities are taking steps to address the challenges posed by the melting permafrost and ensure the airport’s continued operation. These include:
- Daily runway inspections: Meticulous monitoring of the runway during the summer months to detect and repair any subsidence.
- Increased staffing and material: Keeping extra staff and material on hand to quickly repair any damage to the runway.
- Exploring alternative solutions: Investigating long-term solutions such as reinforcing the runway or relocating it to a more stable location.
Lessons from Other Arctic Airports
Svalbard is not alone in facing the challenges of thawing permafrost. Many other Arctic airports are also grappling with this issue. The Iqaluit International Airport in Nunavut, Canada, has implemented advanced temperature monitoring technologies to prevent permafrost thaw and protect critical infrastructure.
Michel Allard, a geographer at Laval University, studies the effects of changing permafrost on runways in Nunavik (Arctic Quebec) and Nunavut. His team takes core samples to measure the amount of ice in the ground and its sensitivity to temperature change. They also gauge the depth of the summer thaw and map how water drains around the runway. Based on this data, they devise plans to protect the runway from thawing, such as installing ventilation conduits and heat drains, modifying drainage, and giving runway embankments a gentle slope to allow wind to blow snow away.
The Future of Svalbard Airport
The future of Svalbard Airport remains uncertain. While authorities are taking steps to adapt to the changing climate, the long-term viability of the airport depends on global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow the pace of Arctic warming.
Svalbard’s transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy offers a glimmer of hope. The local community has moved from a reliance on coal to cleaner energy sources. After the closure of the coal-fired power plant in 2023, Longyearbyen is now powered by an oil-fired power plant, while a new biogas plant is expected to come into operation by the end of 2025. This will further reduce carbon emissions, helping to meet Norway’s environmental goals.
Despite four months of total darkness during the winter, Svalbard has had a solar plant since 2015 that works quite well during the summer, when there is 24 hours of sunlight.
A Microcosm of Global Challenges
The challenges facing Svalbard Airport are a microcosm of the broader challenges posed by climate change around the world. As temperatures rise, infrastructure built on permafrost is increasingly at risk, threatening communities, economies, and ecosystems.
The story of Svalbard Airport serves as a stark warning about the impacts of climate change and the urgent need for global action. It also highlights the importance of adaptation and innovation in the face of a rapidly changing world.
The Climate Tourism Paradox
The increasing popularity of Svalbard as a tourist destination presents a paradox. Visitors come to see the Northern Lights, go dog sledding, and explore the Arctic wilderness. However, their travel contributes to carbon emissions, which in turn exacerbate the climate change impacts that threaten the very environment they are coming to experience.
This “climate tourism paradox” highlights the need for sustainable tourism practices that minimize environmental impact while supporting local communities.
Geoengineering Solutions
Scientists have proposed several colossal geoengineering projects to slow polar melting, including:
- Artificial islands to pin ice shelves: Constructing artificial islands in front of glaciers to shore up ice shelves and slow their melting.
- A giant wall to block warm water: Building a wall in front of glaciers to prevent warm water from reaching their base and accelerating melting.
- Pumping or cooling water beneath glaciers: Pumping out water or circulating cooled water beneath glaciers to reduce melting.
While these projects are ambitious and potentially controversial, they highlight the growing recognition of the need for innovative solutions to address the challenges of climate change.
A Call to Action
The melting runway at Svalbard Airport is a symbol of the climate crisis and a call to action. By reducing greenhouse gas emissions, investing in adaptation measures, and promoting sustainable practices, we can protect vulnerable communities and ecosystems around the world. The time to act is now, before it’s too late to save the northernmost airport and the unique Arctic environment it serves.
