Bear Island Meteorological Station

The stations is located in Herwighamna on the northern shore of Bear Island, which is part of the Svalbard archipelago and is around 250km south of Spitsbergen.

The first weather station on the island was established in 1918 by the Tromsø geophysical institute. The Norwegian Meteorological Institute took over responsibility for the station in 1932. It was moved to its current location in 1947. Historically the island was used for hunting and trapping of walrus, polar bears, seals, whales and birds. Coal mining was also attempted in the period 1916-1925. The station has a crew of 9 and can accommodate up to 3 visitors. It was workshop space, but no specialist labs.

The island is characterised by high sea cliffs in the south, while the rest of the island is mostly flat tundra with many lakes. It is an important habitat for a great number of migratory birds.

The station is isolated and there is no human population on the island other than the station crew. The nearest human settlement, Longyearbyen, is nearly 700km away.

Bear Island may be accessed by boat or helicopter. Travel around the island is possible by boat and on foot.