Why is the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard sometimes called Spitsbergen? Spits means ‘pointed’ and ‘bergen’ means mountains - but when you look at the mountains in the Longyearbyen area, most of them are flat topped (see picture 1 and 2)… so where does the name come from? And why do some people say Spitsbergen and … Continue reading Summer Q&A: we are back again!
Does it rain in the Arctic? YES IT DOES! Typically there is not a lot of rain, some areas are even referred to as polar deserts because they receive as little precipitation as the Sahara desert. Also most of the precipitation falls as snow during winter; it can even snow in summer. Rainfall is rather … Continue reading Summer Q&A: this week is all about rain.
Polar scientists and stakeholders are invited to the APECS Belgium Day 2019, which will take place in September (tentative date: Thursday, 12th) in Brussels. During this event you can get to know APECS Belgium and its activities, as well as current Belgian Polar Research projects. This is an excellent opportunity for polar networking in a … Continue reading First announcement: APECS Belgium Day 2019
Why was it so cold in the United States last winter? Do you remember the extremely cold temperatures that hit the United States last January? If not, you might remember the provocative words of their president, wondering what was going on with Global Warming! The polar vortex was identified as the big culprit all over … Continue reading Summer Q&A: a new week, a new question!
Why is sea ice loss in the Poles so scary for the planet? Let us know what you think in the comments session below or on our other online plateforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter...). We will publish the answer at the end of this week. Drift ice along the coast of Antarctica. Picture by Valentina Savaglia … Continue reading This week Q&A is about sea ice.
