Frontpage MOSJ is a governmental system that monitors the environment on Svalbard and Jan Mayen Climate Atmosphere (3) Land (3) Ocean (5) Influence Fishery and freshwater fishing (1) Hunting and trapping (5) Pollution (14) Traffic (5) Fauna Marine fauna (18) Terrestrial fauna (3) Flora Landbased flora (1) Newly updated indicators Climate Atmosphere Air temperature and precipitation Temperature and precipitation are key climatic factors that influence ecosystems and human activity. Both air temperature and precipitation show an increase throughout the monitoring period… Influence Hunting and trapping Polar bear take Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) used to be hunted extensively in Svalbard, but the species has been totally protected since 1973. Few are now killed. Polar bears killed after 1973 have mainly been… Influence Hunting and trapping Harp seal harvest Harp seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus) are currently harvested in the West Ice (the Greenland Sea near Jan Mayen). Since 2014, there has been no commercial Russian harvest in the East Ice … Influence Pollution Pollutants in polar bears The total stress of pollutants in polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in Svalbard is dominated by fat-soluble organic pollutants, their metabolites and perfluorinated compounds. Polar bears are… Climate Land Duration of snow cover on land Snow cover is an indicator of climate change, since it is controlled by both temperature and precipitation. Snow cover is a complex unit to monitor, but at the same time very important… Climate Atmosphere Climate gases in Svalbard The most important greenhouse gases emitted by human activity are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), a combined group of gases called halocarbons, and nitrous oxide (N2O). These…
