Born in Guadalajara (Spain), Susana lives, works and studies Norwegian in the northernmost inhabited place in the world.
By Hannu Arvio
Right now (22/06/2022) you are in Ny-Ålesund, in Svalbard and, without exaggeration, you could say that you are the most northerly Spaniard. In fact, there is nothing in front of you, right? How did you end up there?
I live in Ny-Ålesund in Svalbard. Ny-Ålesund is a small international scientific community. There are different institutes here that are dedicated to scientific studies of the Arctic, and for the last two years, I have been working for Kartverket, which is like the map agency in Norway (Norwegian Mapping Authority in English). I work at Kartverket’s Geodetic Earth Observatory in Ny-Ålesund.
I am a telecommunications engineer, and in Spain, I belong to the Astronomer Corps of the Ministry of Public Works. I work with a special type of technique, very specific, to study the movement of tectonic plates and the Earth’s rotation. It is a small international community, and two years ago, the Norwegian colleagues had a vacancy. There is a lot of turnover in Ny-Ålesund, because people usually stay here 3-6 years, it’s not a place to live permanently, for life. And I put in my resume, and thanks to my experience, I was a perfect fit.
What did you think at the moment you were told yes?
Well, I worked in Ny-Ålesund for the first time nine years ago, for a year, and also for Kartverket. I had to look up on the map where Svalbard was, and I remember very well when I told my mother that I was going to Svalbard to work. Because once I was told that I had been selected, my partner and I knew that I could not say no, that it was a vital experience on a professional and personal level. And I remember taking the globe, which we all got as a communion gift in Spain, and telling my mother: “look mom, I’m going right here, under the metal part that holds the axis. There is an island there, which is the closest geographically to the North Pole and I am going to go to work there”. And my mother said to me, “Daughter, isn’t there another place farther away to go to work?” (laughs). But in reality, it’s not that far away.
You are in an extreme place: with 3-month days, 3-month nights, a very extreme climate… What is it like to live there?
Ny-Ålesund is a very special place, in many ways. It is a very small, isolated place; in winter, we are about 30-40 people working permanently in Ny-Ålesund. In summer, when the scientists come, we are about 180 people. There are very few of us, but at the same time, it is a very social place, where we all know each other, where life is lived very intensely. Apart from work, in our free time, we try to take advantage of the environment and the nature around us. We try to ski and go snowmobiling in the spring, we hike, walk and climb mountains, go boating or kayaking in the summer… and there is always something to do. There’s always an excuse to celebrate. This week, for example, on Saturday, we have the “summer party” to celebrate that it is summer. And as you were saying before referring to light, we are in the middle of the summer solstice and in the middle of the midnight sun period. We have 24 hours of light for almost 4 months. That affects us, because the body is tired most of the time, because you don’t realise how late it is to go to bed, and you are always active. On the opposite side, in winter, we have total darkness, and we are also tired because the lack of light can affect the energy we have. We have to supplement with vitamin D mainly, and omega-3. There is something very typical in Norway that is made of cod liver, and it tastes very fishy, but there is also a lemon-flavoured version. This is not known in Spain.
During the pre-interview, you told me that, in the midst of so much nature, you humans are like intruders there.
Yes, indeed.
How does that affect your day-to-day?
Yes, we are aware that we live in a place that is unique, that is untouchable. That in reality we are the strangers and in the habitat in which we live we have to affect it in the least possible way, to have an impact that is the least possible. And also, taking into account that the flora and fauna, polar bears in particular, are animals that can be dangerous. That affects our logistics when it comes to going out or planning an excursion, scientists going out to take samples on the glaciers or in the ocean. We always have to go, as a precaution and for safety, with a flare gun and a rifle. We are all trained to safely use both weapons, for our safety, for the safety of others, and for the safety of the polar bears.
Polar bears are protected, and it is forbidden to shoot or kill them. In case of an accident, the governor of Svalbard would open an investigation to clarify whether there was really a need (to shoot) or danger. The animals are protected. I have never had to use it (the rifle) while out hiking, fortunately. I have seen polar bear tracks, and that’s when you really realise they are there. We don’t see them, but they probably see us. But we also regularly practice using the rifle to be prepared because it is a place where it is very cold, it can be very windy, and we have to be a bit trained in case we need it. That’s not usually the case, although last week, before we arrived, there were three polar bears eating a seal in the river that runs through Ny-Ålesund, and you could see it perfectly from the office. My colleagues said it was like having a live documentary.
In the window – how interesting!
Yes, impressive. Polar bears are impressive animals.
I have read that Ny-Ålesund has also been a base for expeditions, such as Roald Amundsen’s. Do you have an explorer part, too, in your character?
Yes, a little yes. A little bit of everyone. Not as brave and adventurous as the Arctic, Norwegian and international explorers. Amundsen, with his zeppelin and several expeditions, started from here, and that is also in the atmosphere of Ny-Ålesund. The buildings are protected; they are cultural heritage. We have the Amundsen Villa, from where the Zeppelin was launched. We live with that, looking at the past, trying to protect it.
Speaking of the past, I wanted to take a turn and talk about the future. There is a lot of talk about climate change and its impact on the Arctic. In your case, in your short history in the Arctic, which is 9 years, have you noticed it?
There are differences, especially in the melting of glaciers. In the acceleration of glacier melt. The ecosystem, the Earth in general, is a changing system that evolves continuously, and there are changes, which, in fact, scientists here are dedicated to monitoring and following. What is clear with respect to climate change is that there is an acceleration of these processes. There have always been changes, but for some time now, these changes have been accelerating uncontrollably. In fact, this year the snow season ended a month earlier than last year. On a short scale, it may not mean anything. Weather is not to be confused with climate change, but the numbers throughout history, as long as we have had measurements, indicate that these changes exist. I personally think the glacier behind Ny-Ålesund is half of what it was when I was first here. We see historical photographs, but even in the time frame between 2011 and 2014, you can see that the glaciers are retreating very fast.
And that is accelerating.
Yes. The previous year, we had a record-high summer temperature. It was 21 degrees for a couple of hours. That temperature had never been reached before, which here in the Arctic is an extreme value. This year, the record maximum temperature in the month of May was broken. This year in May it was 9º, which has never happened before. These are indicators and, obviously, what is important is the time series, the long term, to see how it evolves and try to predict how this is going to be. And the statistics and the numbers, which do not depend on what I think is good weather or bad weather, indicate that this change is accelerating and that it is going in a warming direction, with all that this implies: sea level rise, change in ocean salinity… something that affects marine ecosystems and that, in turn, also affects the rest of the fauna that depends on these ecosystems: polar bears, seals… If the number of seals decreases, polar bears have less food. If the area of ice sheets decreases, which is where the bears hunt, they also have less food. In fact, scientists are now studying how the bears are “learning” new methods to hunt seals without ice, which is quite impressive, the ability to adapt. But if they were not able to adapt, as can happen to us humans, if we are not able to adapt to certain temperatures or certain conditions….
It is difficult to make a positive reading of such an abrupt and uncontrollable change. But back to your work, how is what you do at Karverket related to these changes in the climate?
We are dedicated to monitoring changes on Earth. We are dedicated to geodesy studies using techniques that study where the Earth is in the universe, how it evolves and how it changes, and we monitor gravity and sea level. We generate a terrestrial reference system that serves as a basis at an international level, because we collaborate with other institutes or with other observatories at an international level. At the international level, we manage to have a frame of reference that serves as a basis for scientists, using other measurement techniques such as satellites, GPS or other instruments, to be able to have a zero reference to measure, for example, sea level variations. We need to know where we are and where the sea is “at source” to know how it varies with respect to this reference. We are generating this infrastructure so that scientists can make measurements and follow these changes in sea level, melting glaciers, atmospheric changes…
Why is Ny-Ålesund a good place for that?
There are different observatories distributed all over the planet. Geographically, Ny-Ålesund is a strategic point because it is located in the north and is able to link between sub-networks of observatories on one side of the planet and on the opposite side. For example, the United States with Asia and with Europe. Because we have a position where we see in the sky quasars that are common to all parts of the Earth, it has been estimated that without Ny-Ålesund in the international network, the quality of the data would decrease by 20%, which is a lot, because of the very northern position we have. But the rest of the stations are also interesting and important because there are measurements to be taken. The greater the number of observatories, the higher the quality of the results.
Svalbard is part of Norway, and you work for a Norwegian public institution, Karverket.
Yes, it is a governmental institute. Administratively, Svalbard depends on Norway, and in Ny-Ålesund in particular, the companies in charge of logistics, such as Kings Bay AS or the Norwegian Polar Institute, have a major role in the management, not only on a practical and logistical level, but also on a scientific and research level. Karverket is a Norwegian institution, but there are German-French, Italian, Indian, and Chinese institutions here… Because Ny-Ålesund is special on a scientific level and on a working level, but on an administrative level, we depend on the government of Svalbard.
Do you intend to stay, to live in Norway?
I do not rule it out. I have been in Svalbard for two years now, in the second part of my Arctic adventure. I have a contract for two and a half more years. I don’t rule it out, and I wouldn’t mind also trying on the mainland after the experience here in Ny-Ålesund, maybe working remotely or helping colleagues… It’s a possibility.
You imply that you are very happy with the work.
Yes, I am very happy, I am very happy. I am also very motivated. Karverket has given me a great opportunity, and I also feel it is a great responsibility. I am the Station Leader at the observatory, so I am responsible for a whole team. We are three Norwegians and two Spaniards. And the truth is that I feel grateful and very well valued, and that makes the motivation, the desire to work and to continue collaborating with them very good. Yes.
About your Norwegian studies, are you now in the first year?
Yes, I started last summer with the intensive A1 course, and this year I have completed the A2.
How are you doing?
I am very happy and very motivated. I’ve already bought the book for the next course, and I’m on the crest of the wave right now. (laughs). It is not always like that: learning a language as an adult, and in my case, in particular, since I am not very good at languages, it is difficult. Norwegian is a difficult language, I’m not going to say it’s the most difficult, but for us Spaniards, especially because of our hearing and pronunciation, it’s very difficult. The motivation goes up and down, but in general, I see a very positive progress since I started until now, in one year, and right now I am looking forward to starting the next course.
And there you communicate in Norwegian?
No, that’s the hardest part: the talking.
It is also an international site.
It’s an international site, and people usually respond in English. But I want to make my own språkkafe to speak Norwegian (language exchange meetings), and in fact, I prepared a small poster with a drawing of a beer and said, “Are you going on vacation to Spain? Do you want to improve your Spanish enough to ask for a beer? I’m at that level where I want to start speaking without fear.
Wouldn’t now be the time, after two courses?
Yes, I should. What I do notice is that colleagues, because they know I’m studying Norwegian, many times they don’t switch to English, they try to get me to listen. And I think they like it, that they feel very grateful to see the interest in learning the language.
The truth is that if you are from a country with a “small” language, such as Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or Icelandic, and if someone learns your language, you see that person in a different way, he or she starts to be “one of us.”
(laughs) There is still a long way to go, but the truth is yes. I feel super comfortable here, but I think that speaking Norwegian can help me to integrate better into the small Norwegian culture here. Most of the people are actually Norwegian, and sometimes it is easier.
