In the cold of the Norwegian Arctic, meteorologist Trond Robertsen manually recorded precipitation levels over two decades, witnessing the effects of climate change.
Robertsen, 66, retired for eight years in the lasting Spartan conditions on two islands of the Svalbard Archipelago: Bjornoya (Bear Island) and Hogen.
To reach the remote Bjornoya, the only person there were nine employees of the small weather station, the meteorologists had to fly in helicopters while spinning within six months.
“The idea is not to stay for too long because it’s a different rhythm and you’re isolated,” Robertson told AFP.
This is a demanding job.
“It’s a 24/7 career,” he said. “We do it all day and night.” He explained that the team’s work shifts cover all the time of the day.
Weather observation starts at 6:00 AM in the morning.
“This is done manually, and then you have to go out and check the buckets that collect precipitation,” Robertson said.
“In winter, you have to melt snow and ice into the water” to determine how much it has dropped.
The data was then transferred to the Norwegian Meteorological Institute in Tromso and Oslo.
“This small observation is actually crucial for the northbound weather forecasting system because there are very few observations from that area.”
Bjornoya is located in the middle of the fishing field, followed by fishing boats in the area with two weather reports published daily.
– Less ice, fewer bears –
Robertson has witnessed climate change since his first mission to the Arctic in the 1990s.
“When I started walking north, there was a lot of ice. In the years that followed, there was less ice and less polar bears. You can see climate change.”
Polar bears have been classified as a vulnerable population since 1982, as the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red list of threat species, the loss of Arctic sea ice is the most pressing threat to the species.
However, their exact numbers are almost impossible to evaluate.
During the winter, station employees are always paired up and have to be armed due to the presence of polar bears, but according to Robertsen, they encounter a few of them today.
In April, Robertsen had an accident while doing a woodworking worker: He slipped and eventually cut off one finger and half of the other.
Due to the difficult weather, he had to wait for about 26 hours before being evacuated by helicopter and taken to the hospital.
“It was a big blizzard until the second day after the helicopter came.”
Looking back, Robertson does not regret the years he spent under the severe living conditions.
“The Arctic has given me a lot of experience and memories, so it’s still a small amount of money to use my left finger and part of my fingerless finger,” he said.
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