Land of the midnight sun
July, 2007
Here in Svalbard I am truly in the land of the midnight sun. From my arrival in early July, until my departure in late July, the sun literally NEVER set! At about 600 nm from the north pole this is about as far north as you can get in relatively ice-free conditions. Give thanks to that fact to the remnants of the Gulf Stream helping to keep the ice at bay.
Of course Svalbard is also a land covered in glaciers as here where the late evening light illuminates the Negrebreen Glacier melting in the sunlight on Spitsbergen Island.
Open leads surrounded by multi-year ice floes in the Barents Sea between Edgeøya (Edge Island) and Kong Karls Land. This is where the ice-strengthened hull of the National Geographic Endeavour really pays off! 
Adult black-legged kittiwakes take flight during a calving event near a glacier.
Adult black-legged kittiwakes taking flight from an iceberg.
A view of Storpollen Glacier, on the southwestern side of Spitsbergen Island.
Hikers walking over open tundra beneath ice covered hills surrounding the Rosenberg Valley on Edgeøya Island.
A very interesting cloud formation changing shape rapidly over Diskobukta on the western side of Edgeøya.
A polar bear warning sign just outside the town of Longyearbyen on the west side of Spitsbergen Island reminds visitors and residents alike about the reality of living near polar bears.
A view of the town of Longyearbyen on the west side of Spitsbergen Island.
A tidewater glacier in Isbukta (Ice Bay) on the western side of Spitsbergen Island. This glacier is receding, probably due to global warming.
A view of hikers in front of the towering cliff and glacier in Hornsund (Horn Sound) on the southwestern side of Spitsbergen Island in the Svalbard Archipelago, Barents Sea, Norway.
Visit www.wildlifeimages.net to see my other photos.
Here in Svalbard I am truly in the land of the midnight sun. From my arrival in early July, until my departure in late July, the sun literally NEVER set! At about 600 nm from the north pole this is about as far north as you can get in relatively ice-free conditions. Give thanks to that fact to the remnants of the Gulf Stream helping to keep the ice at bay.
Of course Svalbard is also a land covered in glaciers as here where the late evening light illuminates the Negrebreen Glacier melting in the sunlight on Spitsbergen Island.
Open leads surrounded by multi-year ice floes in the Barents Sea between Edgeøya (Edge Island) and Kong Karls Land. This is where the ice-strengthened hull of the National Geographic Endeavour really pays off!
Adult black-legged kittiwakes take flight during a calving event near a glacier.
Adult black-legged kittiwakes taking flight from an iceberg.
A view of Storpollen Glacier, on the southwestern side of Spitsbergen Island.
Hikers walking over open tundra beneath ice covered hills surrounding the Rosenberg Valley on Edgeøya Island.
A very interesting cloud formation changing shape rapidly over Diskobukta on the western side of Edgeøya.
A polar bear warning sign just outside the town of Longyearbyen on the west side of Spitsbergen Island reminds visitors and residents alike about the reality of living near polar bears.
A view of the town of Longyearbyen on the west side of Spitsbergen Island.
A tidewater glacier in Isbukta (Ice Bay) on the western side of Spitsbergen Island. This glacier is receding, probably due to global warming.
A view of hikers in front of the towering cliff and glacier in Hornsund (Horn Sound) on the southwestern side of Spitsbergen Island in the Svalbard Archipelago, Barents Sea, Norway.Visit www.wildlifeimages.net to see my other photos.
posted by Wildlife Images at 7:50 AM
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