Fram Centre

The perfect spot for gatherings for 10,000 years

Exchange of knowledge and expertise, bartering and wooing. Kirkhellaren Cave on Sanna in Træna is Norway’s oldest meeting place, having first been used about 10,000 years ago.
February 16, 2023

Joining forces against radiation accidents

Along the Norwegian coast two degrees above the Arctic Circle, an icebreaker makes its way back from the North Pole. Suddenly, a fire breaks out. As nearby ships respond to the mayday, the icebreaker reports that its nuclear reactor is damaged. Radiation contaminates the crew and the environment.
October 24, 2022

Leaching of metals from mine tailings in Repparfjorden

For centuries, Norway has been using harbours and fjords as disposal sites for waste, including industrial waste, sewage sludge, wastewater, and mine tailings. The “out of sight out of mind” approach caught up with the practise in the 1970s, when the impacts on aquatic life became apparent.
October 12, 2022

Meltdown of the Arctic Ocean: Dead end or new opportunities?

The Arctic Ocean is changing towards a warmer, ice-free state in summer. Warm Atlantic water continuously carries plankton organisms from south to north. Boreal species usually perish in the cold, dark Arctic Ocean but that may change as climate warms, sea ice shrinks, and the primary production season lengthens.
October 05, 2022

The kittiwake needs support to survive

The black-legged kittiwake is in danger of going extinct from the bird cliffs along the Norwegian coast. Could urban kittiwake hotels and alternative nesting sites help save this little seagull?
September 14, 2022

Can we convince tourists to go hiking without leaving any traces?

A growing number of people are visiting Norway’s protected areas. This poses new challenges for national park management. Excrement and rubbish left behind by thousands of tourists degrades Lofotodden National Park’s idyllic nature. What can be done about this problem?
July 05, 2022

The benefits of subarctic kelp cultivation

I am out walking with my children along a windy, desolate sub-Arctic beach. Seagulls fly high above. We take in the distinct sound and scent of the sea. Suddenly my youngest child hunkers down, then pops up again with a big grin, his mouth full of rockweed. He loves seaweed, and so does his big sister.
June 15, 2022

Astounding discoveries

Space radars allow researchers to spot some of the smallest things in existence – electrons – up to a thousand kilometres away! Now an even more advanced radar antenna facility is being constructed, which will offer unprecedented opportunities.
June 02, 2022

Kongsfjorden’s Wingman

Kongsfjorden. Our story begins there and it will end there, but Geir Wing Gabrielsen may never be finished with the fjord. Although he has probably spent more seasons doing fieldwork there than anyone else, he still has projects lined up.
May 04, 2022

The red king crab: a blacklisted but valuable fisheries resource

With climate change come changes in species distribution. Here in the High North, we expect to see many marine species move northwards. In addition, humans sometimes move species for commercial purposes with varying outcomes. One such species in the red king crab.
April 20, 2022

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