Greetings from sunny Ny Ålesund, worlds Northernmost permanent settlement, they say, though Station Nord in Greenland and Alert in Canada are more North and permanently occupied, at least. Nevertheless, since February we’ve been resolving the mystery of secondary cluster and aerosol formation in the Arctic. I guess, we have been very successful in that – thanks to great instruments and very high data quality – and with high confidence already know the primary mechanisms and chemical compounds involved. However, other mechanisms may arise, when the summer proceeds and nature’s emissions evolve. We will find that out.
Wildlife update: Svalbard reindeers, seals, birds, arctic foxes, colleagues saw also walruses and other colleagues saw some whales, which I missed. Still waiting for polar bears which are predicted to start hanging around in the area this time of the year.
Below some photos from last weeks.
-Mikko
