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Spring in Svalbard
Monday, 25 May 2015
After the snow was mostly evaporating in End of April and first half of May, the real snowmelt started exactly in the mid of May.
Frozen ground was impermeable so the water started collecting in lakes all around the Longyearbyen.
Longyear river started to flow.
Around frost blister.
Also alluvial fan slowly turned into the lake.
Outflow
Over a still thick ice layer.
Westerly winds didn't bring only warmer temperatures, but also iceberg from the glaciers on the other side of Isfjorden.
...
Bean geese arrived at the same time as snowmelt started.
More melting in two days.
And more icebergs.
Longyear river is slowly getting bigger.
Snowless beach in Adventlaen
Advent river on 21. 5. flowing in many ice channels
With frequent sinkholes in ice.
And lakes.
Three days later. One of the last days was still possible to cross the river and come to the other side of the valley.
Another sinkhole.
They were very helpful for crossing sometimes.
Otherwise it was possible with a help of different driftwood.
Waterfall
And almost snow free south facing slopes on the other side of the fjord.
Purple saxifrage is normally first that starts to blossom.
And first fresh leaves of Mountain Avens.
Most of the snow in the town melted by the the end of May.
Small ponds between the hummocks.
The last day of May at 1:30. When the most of the Europe is already sleeping, the sun is pleasantly shining from the north.
Snowmobiles are ready for "oversummering".
Frost blister from this picture: https://goo.gl/FYxyBR is now quickly melting.
Interesting ice melt forms and stone, which is melting the ice faster.
Purple saxifrage is starting to bloom also around the town.
Longyearbyen from the Sukkertoppen in the beginning of June.
Adventdalen has now turned into a floodplain, but isdammen lake has still an ice on it.
Grass gave us the first real glance of greenness.
And a moss.
Mountain sorrel.
Longyear river incised itself into the ice.
Quite a decent flow already.
Spring in Bjørndalen.
Vestpynten.
And the remnants of snowdrifts under the cliffs.
Still a lot of snow on the other side of Isfjorden.
More and more plants are starting to sprout. Tufted Saxifrage.
Purple saxifrage now with fully opened blossoms.
...
To me unknown plant.
Buttercup (Ranunculus pedatifidus?)
Polar Willow (Salix polaris)
Another Saxifraga.
First fresh food this year.
Along with the spring, many birds arrived.
Barnacle goose.
Some geese already laied eggs.
Sandpiper.
...
They sooner or later wander into one of these.
This one doesn't have a ring yet.
Common Eiders are breeding close to the dog kennels.
Heat afrom nests makes grass grow faster.
Mother Eider.
Stretching from time to time.
Territory gurds.
Defending their nests.
Bird photographers with long-range shooting devices.
Long-tailed ducks.
Probably the most notorious bird in Svalbard is the Arctic Tern.
They normally arrive to Svalbard in the first week of June.
After a long journey from Antarctica they start to nest on the beaches.
While some are still mating ...
the others are already defending their breeding places.
If necessary, also from the air.
Aiming the target.
And attacking.
Second try.
Little stick was enough to again confuse the attacker.
By the mid of June the most of the lowlands were snow free. Melted frost blister in Adventdalen.
Ice wedge polygon.
Greeeen!
Despite the spring, winter can always strike and bring back some snow.
