Visit from the Arctic Delegation of the Norwegian Parliament PDF Print E-mail
Wednesday, 10 February 2010 14:44

 

On February 10, Kings Bay AS hosted a visit to Ny-Ålesund from the Norwegian Parliament's Arctic Delegation.

 

The group arrived by helicopter from Longyearbyen in the morning, and was shortly after given a briefing about Kings Bay AS and Ny-Ålesund by the managing director of Kings Bay AS, Mr. Roger Jakobsen. Afterwards the delegation was given a guided tour of the Kings Bay Marine Lab by research adviser Mr. Bendik Eithun Halgunset. The visit at the marine lab also included a short stop in one of the labs where Ms Silke Lischka (University of Kiel, Germany) described her project focusing on effects of ocean acidification on sea butterflies (pteropods). Before lunch, the group thereafter visited the AWIPEV-base and attended the launch of the weather balloon at 12.00. Station leader Mr. Marcus Schumacher introduced the visitors to the research activities at AWIPEV.

 

A visit to the information centre and the shop was included after lunch, before the delegates could attend a presentation of the Norwegian Polar Institute by Ms Dorothea Schultze and professor Dr. Johan Ström. At the end of the stay, the delegation visited the Geodetic Observatory of the Norwegian Mapping Authority at Rabben. Mr. Carl Petter Nielsen guided the group through the Observatory and the measurements done. Information director Mr. Terje Dahlen gave the parliamentarians thorough insight into VLBI and geodesy, as well as the ambitions to construct new antennas in Ny-Ålesund within 2015. Mr. Dahlen pointed out the importance and impact a fibre optical cable between Longyearbyen and Ny-Ålesund will have for the community in general. Both when it comes to safety, but also for the research community specifically with regard to reliability and data transfer capacity.

 

The delegation returned to Longyearbyen by helicopter, and is expected to bring back valuable impressions and ideas for political discussion and decision making at the Parliament in Oslo.

Last Updated ( Thursday, 18 February 2010 08:13 )