Published on 2 September 2024
Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, has been severely affected by a prolonged heat wave during the summer of 2024. Data from the Norwegian Centre for Data Service show that four observation stations in Svalbard recorded record-high average summer temperatures, with anomalies up to 3.0°C above normal. Svalbard Airport, located at 78.14°N, recorded an average summer temperature of 8.5°C, setting a new record for the third year in a row. August 2024 was particularly extreme, with an unprecedented average temperature of 11.0°C, illustrating the severity of the heatwave.
This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image, acquired on 28 August 2024, documents the effects of the heatwave, revealing large areas of glaciers around Longyearbyen without snow cover. The absence of snow accelerates the rapid melting of the ice, resulting in the massive sediment discharge seen in the island's coastal areas.
Source:
Record-Breaking temperatures observed in Svalbard. (2024, September 2). Copernicus Image of the Day.