EISCAT Svalbard Radar

EISCAT Svalbard Radar (ESR), located near Longyearbyen on Spitsbergen in Svalbard, is a unique and important component of the EISCAT research radar facilities.

78°09’11″N 16°01’44″E

EISCAT Svalbard Radar (ESR), located near Longyearbyen on Spitsbergen in Svalbard, is a unique and important component of the EISCAT research radar facilities. Since its inauguration in 1996, the radar has provided scientists with high-quality data that have been essential for advancing research on the Earth’s upper atmosphere and near-Earth space.

Svalbard’s geographical location offers exceptional conditions for scientific research. Situated at a high latitude of 78 degrees north, well above the Arctic Circle and close to the North Pole, Svalbard lies beneath key regions of interaction between the Earth’s atmosphere and the solar wind. This makes it particularly well suited for studies of the dayside cusp and the polar cap, regions that play a crucial role in the transfer of energy and particles from the Sun into the Earth’s space environment.

In addition, Svalbard’s climate and seasonal light conditions further enhance its research potential. The long polar night, lasting from mid-October to mid-February, provides an extended period for observing auroral phenomena. Combined with the continuous radar observations from ESR, this enables detailed, long-term studies of space weather processes in the polar ionosphere.

EISCAT Svalbard Radar with Adventfjorden in the background.

Photo: Craig Heinselman