The runway at the world's northernmost airport is melting away

In times of global warming and mass tourism, more and more people are opting for northern holiday destinations. Setting aside Trump's interest in Greenland, destinations from Alaska to Lapland, from the Faroe Islands to Svalbard, are becoming increasingly popular. But this has major, disastrous consequences.

The airport Svalbard is located on an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, approximately halfway between Norway and the North Pole, and is easily accessible by plane. Moreover, it is the northernmost airport in the world, and there are regular commercial flights to and from this airport.

Two airlines, SAS and Norwegian, connect the Norwegian mainland throughout the year with the airport in Longyearbyen, the largest settlement on the archipelago, 800 kilometres to the north. Also charter flights and private jets often land at the airport, which makes the unique geographical location of Svalbard very attractive.

When they constructed the 2300-metre-long runway in the early 1970s, nobody expected that the permafrost layer on which they had built the runway would begin to thaw. But that is exactly what's happening now, reports CNN.

Daily monitoring for ground subsidence is essential at this melting airport

Permafrost is permanently frozen ground that forms because of consistently low temperatures throughout the year. However, global warming and the melting of permafrost pose a significant problem for Svalbard. The consequences include instability and subsidence of buildings and infrastructure and an increased risk of landslides and avalanches.

"During the summer months, we have to carefully check the runway every day because the ground can sink at any moment. This is a big challenge for us, and we expect that it will only get worse in the coming years," said airport manager Ragnhild Kommisrud to CNN.

Approximately 2,500 residents of Svalbard are highly dependent on this runway. "If we had to close the airport, we would have to transport most of our essential goods by sea. That can take two days for a one-way trip. We always have additional staff and equipment ready at the airport because if something breaks, we have to fix it ourselves, without outside help," explains Kommisrud about the challenging working conditions.

(FVDV - Source: CNN - Illustration: ©Unsplash)