Norwegian Polar Institute

Emblem

The Norwegian Polar Institute's office building in Tromsø

The Norwegian Polar Institute (in Norwegian: Norsk Polarinstitutt) is Norway's central governmental institution for scientific research, mapping and environmental monitoring in the Arctic and the Antarctic. It is run under the auspices of the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment. The institute conducts research in the polar regions, provides management relevant knowledge for the Norwegian authorities, and organizes expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic regions. The institute runs year-round the Sverdrup research station in Ny-Ålesund on Svalbard and the Troll station in Antarctica. In addition the Norvegia station which is located on the Bouvet Island in the Southern Ocean and the Tor Field Station on Antarctica are used for shorter term work. Its offices are in Tromsø and Longyearbyen, Svalbard, in addition to the research stations in Queen Maud Land and Svalbard, and employs approximately 150 persons. It has the responsibility to enforce international treaties regarding Antarctic activities by Norwegian citizens or corporations.

The institute was founded as Norges Svalbard- og Ishavsundersøkelser by AdolfAdo Hoel in 1928.

Staff

Greenhouse gases research

Atmospheric levels of the main greenhouse gas have set another new peak in a sign of the industrial rise of Asian economies led by China. The Norwegian Polar Institute has stated that in 2008 "the levels already in January are higher than 2007" .^[1]

References