What it takes to move a research station in the Arctic!
Due to increasing damage to the permafrost; a direct consequence of a warming Arctic, the foundations on which the NERC Arctic Research Station sat had weakened and the building was at risk of subsidence. The original structure was built in 1992 and like many of the buildings of that vintage here in Ny-Ålesund, and indeed Svalbard, it rested on wooden piles driven 3m into the permafrost. However, seasonal melting and increased heat radiating from the building has damaged the permafrost locally so there is an expansive program to strengthen the foundations of many of the buildings here in town.
Kings Bay (our landlord) has devised an innovative engineering solution. The entire building was sequentially raised up on jacks across its footprint, and all the major joists were replaced by steel beams. Following this, temporary steel tracks were laid underneath. The building was then lowered onto these before being rolled off its original site, using pulleys, by hand! The 48 old piles are now replaced with new reinforced concrete ones drilled directly into the bedrock at a depth of 9m. All the work was completed during spring 2025 with no major interruption to the spring science programme.
Tour of the NERC Arctic Research Station
This video, hosted by Henry Burgess, Head of the NERC Arctic Office, shows us a glimpse of the NERC Arctic Station during a very busy season!
Happy 30th Birthday NERC Arctic Research Station
Wishing the Arctic Station a very Happy 30th Birthday, marking three decades since the establishment of the Station in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard.
Happy 30th Birthday NERC Arctic Research Station from Sir Michael Palin
Sir Michael Palin KCMG CBE FRGS FRSGS wishes the NERC Arctic Research Station a very happy 30th birthday. Michael Palin visited the Station back in 1992 soon after it first opened!
The Arctic: A Dynamic Environment
A visually compelling film which showcases the global impact and ambition of The United Kingdom’s Arctic science community. Demonstrating how great ideas, combined with world-class infrastructure and new international partnerships, reveal a dynamic future for the UK in this fragile, and vitally important, part of the world.
Dr Kevin Newsham talks about a changing Arctic:
Dr Kevin Newsham, a Soil and plant ecologist working at the British Antarctic Survey talks about his research on the response of soil microbes to warming in the Arctic. He studies these microbes using open top chambers in Ny-Alesund, Svalbard, an area experiencing unprecedented change.
Arctic research a vital source for environmental policy makers:
Researchers are playing a crucial part in setting global environmental policies. Here, researchers from Loughborough University discuss this important work.