Netherlands’ Arctic Station - Svalbard and Jan Mayen

The Netherlands’ Arctic Station is situated in Kongsfjorden on the island of Spitsbergen and is part of an international research community in the former mining town of Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard. In this town, more than 10 nations have their own station while using shared facilities for meals and recreation. The whole local community is focussed on science and maintenance of infrastructure. Several stations have independent terrestrial research programmes and the Netherlands’ Arctic Station is the smallest of all. Research focusses on the role of barnacle geese in the arctic ecosystem. Nutrient cycles, plant productivity, and vegetation patterns are studied to understand plant-herbivore interactions. Behaviour, timing, and breeding success of individually ringed geese are observed over their lifetime, and the effect of predators is studied as a dynamic interaction. Population trends of plants, herbivores, and predators are monitored in a warming environment. Long term experiments include grazing exclosures and greenhouses on paired vegetation plots. There are also projects focussing on the history of human exploitation and the effect of tourism on cultural heritage.