We saw the snowy mountains of Svalbard as we sailed in towards Longyearbyen after 18 days at sea. We had the evening to explore the land, and so we visited the shops before getting together for one last feast at the local restaurant. The atmosphere on the island was quite nice and the locals were great. We heard stories about people moving away from the island but returning shortly after, missing the community. It was understandable. After seeing the bizarre signs in town reading ‘No weapons allowed inside the store’, it soon became clear how closely connected the community was in the face of the harsh Arctic environment, brought together in wholesome places like the Husky Café.

In the end, I felt very lucky to have experienced this kind of research, especially aboard one of the most advanced polar research icebreakers in the world, with all its facilities, delicious food and spectacular surroundings.

Special thanks to the Institute of Marine Research here in Bergen for taking us on and trusting us to do a good job, and thanks to the crew of RV Kronprins Håkon for getting us out there and back in one piece. Hopefully, we’ll get to work together again soon.