Verso Ny Ålesund, leggere la neve per capire l’Artico

Towards Ny Ålesund, reading the snow to understand the Arctic

Text and images by Claudio Artoni

ARRIVAL IN NY-ÅLESUND, AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD

The two turboprops of the Dornier 228-200 gather power and, within minutes, Adventfjorden appears outside the windows in all its beauty. The white of the ice blends with the deep blue of the sea and the pale blue of the sky in a play of colours that is essential and sharply defined.

As my eyes follow every crease in the ice, the aircraft heads towards its destination: Ny-Ålesund, a village dedicated to scientific research and the northernmost inhabited settlement before the North Pole.

Here, research stations from around ten countries are based, including Italy’s Arctic Station Dirigibile Italia, managed by the Institute of Polar Sciences of the National Research Council.

DIRIGIBILE ITALIA: HOME FOR A FEW WEEKS

Together with my expedition companion Marco Potenza, we cross the threshold of the base that will be our home for the next few weeks, in March 2026.

For five years now, we have been returning to the Svalbard Islands, a privileged window onto the Arctic, for the OPTICE research project, which studies seasonal snow to understand how it evolves in relation to climate change.

We make up a complementary team. As a snow scientist and polar guide, I work on the stratigraphy of the snowpack, open routes across the glaciers and manage safety in the field, including the presence of polar bears: a real and dominant presence at these latitudes.

Marco, a professor of physics, focuses on the optical analysis of snow grains and crystals, and on how mineral and anthropogenic particles interact with snow.

TOOLS, METHOD, RESPONSIBILITY

We still have the 2025 expedition clearly in mind, when in early March it rained for an entire week, turning the peninsula on Kongsfjorden into an almost inaccessible sheet of ice.

Here too, the effects of climate change are becoming increasingly evident, but this year the situation looks better: snow covers both the mountains and the coast.

I prepare the technical equipment for crevasse and avalanche rescue and load it onto the snowmobiles, together with a crystal card, magnifying lens, thermometer, density cutter and small test tubes with orange caps that will hold the samples.

Meanwhile, Marco completes the calibration of an electronic probe we developed to estimate the shape and size of snow grains and crystals without having to dig a trench every time.

FOUR GLACIERS, A VISIBLE EVOLUTION

After several days of work, we manage to sample and study four glaciers, observing the evolution of the snowpack and assessing avalanche activity.

In samples from previous years, alongside naturally occurring mineral dust, we also found black carbon from fires and combustion, as well as microplastics. These are signs that the human footprint is clearly visible even at high latitudes.

RETURN

Time passes quickly among seals, reindeer, walruses and Arctic foxes, and it is already time to return.

We bring home samples and data, but also something less measurable: a love for these lands and the desire to come back soon.

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Who is Claudio Artoni

Claudio Artoni is a snow scientist and certified polar guide.

He is technical manager of the EuroCold Lab system at the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences of the University of Milano-Bicocca. His work focuses on the analysis of mineral dust contained in snow, the microphysical characteristics of snow, and snowpack stability. He carries out sampling and monitoring activities in high-altitude and polar environments, and is also responsible for the logistical and operational management of the laboratory.