Located just 1316 km from the North Pole, Longyearbyen is the northern most town on earth and creating stunning scenery and home to a variety of arctic wildlife that depend on the cold climate. During the polar night temperatures can reach as low as -30°C and their warmest month July is between 3 - 7 °C. Locals and animals alike have experienced first hand the effects global warming has had on their home as the archipelago is warming 6 times faster then the global average.

Each year the glaciers recede as temperatures rise throughout Svalbard, with scientists predicting they will loose ice at double their current rate. Sea ice is also suffering majorly with the first sea ice free summer day predicted for the late 2030’s.

These images are all taken using medium format film during my visit to Longyearbyen in late February to early March 2024. This time of year falls just after the polar night has ended and light slowly returns to Svalbard, first only being seen for a couple hours a day until late April when the sun will remain up for the midnight sun season through summer. I wanted to show the landscape here as it stands as winter ends as next year the ice will recede more, forever changing as it suffers through the effects of climate change.

These images are all taken on digital.