Woodfjorden, Spitsbergen
This morning the National Geographic Explorer is navigating close to 80¢ª north along the northern coast of Spitsbergen, the largest island in the Svalbard archipelago. It’s hard to imagine just how far north we are without looking at a globe or atlas. At this same latitude the west coast of Greenland is locked in ice, while here in Svalbard, the islands are only 60% covered by glaciers because of the warming influence of the northern reaches of Gulfstream current.
It wasn’t long after breakfast that we spotted our first polar bear of the voyage sleeping on land. During the Arctic summer, when the pack ice melts and retreats, it’s not uncommon for polar bears to come ashore to feed on bird eggs or whatever they can scavenge. This summer is proving to be one of the lightest ice years on record, another indication that climate change is happening at an alarmingly rapid pace in the Arctic.
It was only minutes after leaving the polar bear that a giant blue whale surfaced ahead of the ship. Blue whales are the largest animals ever to inhabit the Earth and are extremely rare this far north. Historically, the nutrient-rich waters around Svalbard attracted a great number of whales that were hunted almost to extinction in the 17th and 18th centuries.
After lunch we made our first landing to explore the Arctic landscape. A group of intrepid long hikers summited a distant ridge, while the rest of us marveled at the great variety of wildflowers on display on the tundra. Back on board we were treated to a lavish Welcome Dinner before the day was capped off with an impressive sighting of walrus hauled out on the tiny gravel spit of Moffin Island.
It’s hard to believe all we’ve seen, and it’s only the first day!
