Before we head off to Ny Alesund and begin our field work, we are required to have Field Safety Training specific to working in Svalbard.
This morning we were introduced to Martin, our safety instructor at UNIS. Martin told us that over 60% of Svalbard is covered by glaciers. There are specific hazards when working on glaciers. For example, when glaciers flow down slope huge cracks perpendicular to the direction of flow can develop. These cracks, called crevasses, can be very large. Large enough to fall into. If you fall into a crevasse, not only can you get wedged in, making it difficult to be rescued, but your body heat can melt a bit of the ice around you. This can re-freeze, literally freezing you to the glacier down in the crevasse. So watch where you are going!
Another very dangerous thing to be concerned about is an encounter with a polar bear. Most polar bears will migrate with the sea ice, which melts back farther to the north in the summer. But occasionally, one may stick around the fjords during the summer months. This is why everyone working out in the field in Svalbard must have current rifle safety training. Though shooting a polar bear is THE last resort and only in self defense.
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