High population turnover and increasing diversity in Svalbard

Eight US senators and their staff visited the Norwegian Arctic archipelago Svalbard last weekend. This is reported by Svalbardposten, among others.

Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski led the delegation, which was invited by UiT, the Arctic University of Norway.

"We are here with a bipartisan message about the importance of our allies, and Norway is obviously one of them. The challenges in the Arctic are enormous, the Arctic is an enormous region, and the United States cannot solve everything alone. It is important that we can work together with our allies to solve the challenges we have in the Arctic," Shaheen tells the newspaper.

According to Svalbardposten, the agenda included a presentation of Arctic climate research, as well as visits to Isfjord Radio and UNIS - the university centre in Svalbard.

"When we see the Arctic warming and new dangers emerging in the Arctic, it is very important for us to get a better understanding of what those challenges are and to ensure that we have a bipartisan understanding of what the United States can do," says Shaheen.

The Norwegian Veterinary Institute has detected avian influenza (bird flue) in a polar bear and a walrus in Raudfjorden on Spitsbergen. The virus is of the subtype H5N5 and has previously been found in wild birds, a walrus, and Arctic foxes in Svalbard.

This is the first time that avian influenza has been found in polar bears in Europe. The virus has only been detected in this species once before, in Alaska in 2023.

“These findings are part of the ongoing spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Europe, where the virus is increasingly being detected in mammals. In recent years, it has also expanded into new areas, including the Arctic, where it may impact vulnerable wildlife populations and fragile ecosystems,” says Dr. Ragnhild Tønnessen, avian influenza coordinator at the Norwegian Veterinary Institute.

The first seed sample deposit in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault 2026 took place this week.

Seeds from two new countries, Guatemala and Niger, were deposited for the very first time, and the seed vault also received its first deposit of olive seeds. A total of 7,864 seed samples from ten depositors came to the Arctic facility for long-term storage.

Svalbard Governor Lars Fause had 94 official visits to Svalbard in 2025. This is the highest number ever, writes Klassekampen.

"There is increased international interest in the archipelago," Fause tells the newspaper.

Among the guests were high-ranking representatives from both Russia and the United States, who showed great interest in the Arctic.