Atlantification: New findings on the state of the Arctic environment in Svalbard

Atlantification - i.e. the growing influence of Atlantic waters contributing to the loss of sea ice and other impacts on the ecosystem - is one of the phenomena linked to climate variability and threatening the balance of the Arctic: this is confirmed in the State of Environmental Science in Svalbard (SESS) report 2024. The document was recently presented during the Polar Night Week, a workshop organised by the Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS) at the University of Svalbard (UNIS), and includes a chapter that takes stock of atlantification by analysing the time series collected by the SIOS network of marine observatories active on the Svalbard Islands - the SIOS Marine Infrastructure network. 

The analysis was carried out with the participation of an international group of researchers from 10 scientific institutions from 5 countries worldwide and under the leadership of OGS oceanographer Manuel Bensi: The marine time series clearly show the signs of Atlantification in the Svalbard region over the last two decades.