The northernmost airport in the world has a serious problem: Its runway is melting
The poles are on the frontline of climate change, warming much faster than the rest of the globe which is having serious transformational consequences.
Deep inside the Artic Circle is the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. The barren islands covered in snow and ice, once an extreme tourism destination, are becoming more mainstream and a major economic activity for the local community.
That is aided by the fact that Svalbard is relatively easily accessible despite being located so close to the North Pole. That is thanks to its airport, the world’s northernmost with regular scheduled commercial flights. The airport on Svalbard, located in the archipelago’s main settlement, Longyearbyen, is also a lifeline for the community, but it is under threat as the world gets warmer.
Svalbard, home to the ‘Doomsday Vault’, a collection of seeds from around the planet, has been warming seven times faster than the global average over the past three decades.
The Svalbard Airport’s runway is melting
Not much concern was given when the runway was built on top of permafrost in the early 1970s, climate change wasn’t yet being noticed. However, the Artic is warming much faster than the rest of the globe, which is causing the ground that has been frozen for an extended period of time to thaw.
That means the ground beneath the almost mile-and-a-half runway is literally melting away presenting a serious issue for the Longyearbyen Airport (LYR) and the community at large. “During the summer months we must check the runway meticulously every day, because the soil might subside at any point,” said Ragnhild Kommisrud, the airport manager speaking to CNN. “This is a challenge that we only expect to get worse with time.”
She explained that extra staff and material are always on hand at the airport in case something breaks down because “we must be able to repair it ourselves, without outside help.” Without the ability to quickly fly in essential supplies or materials, they must be brought by ship, which takes two days to arrive from the mainland.
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