Clean Water

Spitsbergen looks like pure nature and without any pollution because it is so far away from human cilivisation.
But, unlucky for the Spitsbergen Islands, Spitsbergen receive a lot of pollution from human cilivisation.
The place on the worldmap makes Spitsbergen very vulnerable for receiving al kinds of pollution. The sea water of the warm gulf stream brings all kind of pollution (mostly from Europe) towards Spitsbergen. The fish, who are living in the waters around Spitsbergen receive parts of this pollution, also the seal. Because the pölarbear is hunting on seals, the polarbear is also receiving parts of this pollution,
Also some big rivers from Russia, those who are streaming from south to north, bring pollution to Spitsbergen.


A big seal resting on a small ice block which has broken of from a glacier.

Depending on wind direction there is much or less air pollution, although the air on Spitsbergen is much cleaner then the air in the cilivisation world. But the precipitation on Spitsbergen contains also parts of pollution. Depending on wind direction the rain or snow contains more or less pollution. They measured pollution in the rain/snow on Spitsbergen which came from India. The people in India used firewood for preparing their meals. All those fires together (many people are living in India) did give some pollution which was found back in the rain and snow on Spitsbergen.

As I wrote on the startingpage on this website: 'I am living one year from the water on Spitsbergen, it will be interesting to see if this water is clean and how the water, snow and ice is changing in one year'.
I am planning to collect the rain and snowfall on Spitsbergen in 2010, if there is any precipitation at the place where I am, I will collect it. Because I am using that water to prepare my food, it will be interesting to see if there is any kind of pollution in my body after this expedition.

This page is just new and will grow every day, so please come back again.

Last update on January 25th 2009