Svalbard, Arctic Webcam

Category: Harbor

Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean north of mainland Europe, about midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. Three islands are populated: Spitsbergen, Bear Island and Hopen.
Svalbard lies far north of the Arctic Circle. In addition to humans, four mammalian species inhabit the archipelago: the Svalbard field mouse, the Arctic fox, the Svalbard reindeer, and polar bears. Svalbard is also a breeding ground for large numbers of seabirds, including Brunnich’s and Black Guillemot, Puffin, Little Auk, Fulmar and Black-legged Kittiwake. Other seabirds include Arctic Tern, four species of skua, and the elusive Ivory Gull. See also: Flowers of Svalbard.

The Norwegian government has built a “doomsday” seed bank to store seeds from as many of the world’s crop varieties and their botanical wild relatives as possible.