Svalbard Research Integration for Data and Environmental Modelling

What’s the big idea? Our project stimulates collaboration to enhance our understanding of the Arctic environment, focusing on the Isfjorden region. By uniting the expertise of several organizations (NIVA, UNIS, and SIOS), we’re preparing joint monitoring datasets — from river stations to ocean buoys and sensors installed on board ships — tracking various parameters from microplastics to biogeochemical changes. How are we doing this? We are organizing a workshop in Longyearbyen to foster cooperation and knowledge exchange among researchers. Together, we’ll refine our methods of data collection and analysis, and develop cutting-edge coastal models using this data. This collaboration is not just for a one-time workshop; it aims to establish an ongoing partnership, ensuring the continuation of our joint efforts through regular updates and shared findings. What have we discovered so far? We’ve observed significant patterns prolongation of river discharge periods and glacier melting, which have implications for the Arctic ecosystem and beyond. These insights are important for predicting and mitigating the impacts of climate change on coastal regions. What’s new and impactful? A novel aspect of our project is the integration of data on microplastics and contaminants into SIOS’s efforts, contributing significantly to global environmental monitoring. By developing a comprehensive coastal ocean model, we enhance the scientific quality of research in Svalbard and position it within a broader global context of climate change studies. Benefits to society. By improving our ability to model and predict environmental changes, this project directly supports water management policies and climate adaptation strategies, helping society at large to prepare for and respond to changes in the Arctic. Our collaboration with non-research entities, like Hurtigruten Svalbard, extends the impact of our findings, promoting wider public engagement and awareness.

We plan to organize a workshop in Longyearbyen with NIVA and UNIS as participants and with the support of SIOS. The planned sessions and expected outcomes from the workshop include: • Analysis of seasonal and interannual variations in land-ocean connectivity using existing NIVA monitoring datasets: - Adventfjorden Oceanographic Buoy (https://sios-svalbard.org/node/664): provides high-temporal-resolution oceanographic data at the land-ocean interface in the Adventelva-Adventfjorden system. - The ferrybox system installed on board of the Norbjørn cargo ship sailing between Tromsø and Longyearbyen, collects oceanographical and meteorological data. - River Station Monitoring (Adventelva) (2017-2023) (https://sios-svalbard.org/node/153114) - Økokyst Svalbard coastal monitoring data (Isfjorden) (2018-2021) - IKO Svalbard monitoring (Linnevassdraget – Isfjorden) (2022-2027). - Data on biogeochemistry and environmental contaminants collected in 2011-2023 expeditions including surface and subsurface microplastics concentrations in coastal waters of Svalbard (summer 2020-2023). • Analysis of sensor data in relation to water sampling, weather data, and water chemistry data, leading to optimized data collection methods. Quality control of the sensor data, evaluation and adjustment of current methods (e.g. sensor types, sampling frequency and depths) • Application of the coastal ocean model to the Isfjorden domain, informed by the assembled observational data. • The model will also simulate contaminant fate to highlight the significance of Arctic rivers and fjords in the global contaminants’ dynamics of the World Ocean, placing Svalbard research in an Arctic and global context. • We are planning to request a SIOS session on developing the data management plan and the data formatting. The chosen topics address critical gaps in understanding the dynamics of Arctic coastal systems, particularly the impact of climate change and microplastics pollution.