Norway to Monitor Airborne Radioactivity in Svalbard
The air filter station is part of the Zeppelin observatory, which is located on the Zeppelin Mountain next to Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard. (Photo: the Norwegian Institute for Air Research)
From October 1st, the Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority will take over the operations of an air filter station near Ny-Ålesund in Svalbard. “This will be particularly important for nuclear preparedness in the north,” says section leader in the agency.
The Finnish Meteorological Institute is to discontinue its air monitoring in Svalbard, and on October 1st, the Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (DSA) will take over ownership of its air sampling equipment.
The purpose is to strengthen Norway's ability to monitor airborne radioactivity and increase vigilance in the High North.
"This will be an important supplement to our already existing network of air filter stations in Norway, and particularly important for nuclear preparedness in the North," says Markus Ottosen, section leader for the High North at the DSA.
"The stations are used to monitor radioactivity in the air, and to assess the size and composition in the event of possible accidents and incidents," Ottosen continues.
The relevant station near Ny-Ålesund has been in operation since 2000.
The DSA also has access to data from a similar station on Platåfjellet outside Longyearbyen. This is operated by the research institute NORSAR on behalf of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization.
