The Swedish Polar Research Secretariat (

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

: ''Polarforskningssekretariatet'') is a government agency in charge of coordinating and promoting Swedish polar research activities. It is located in Stockholm, has more than 30 employees, and serves under the Ministry of Education and Research.

Research platforms and activities

The Swedish Polar Research Secretariat does not conduct research itself, but provides support to researchers - typically at universities - by organizing expeditions to polar regions, operating research stations, and providing an overall research infrastructure (logistics etc.). It also promotes polar research that does not require field work, and takes an active role in the dissemination of research results. As part of this effort, teachers and artists are routinely part of Swedish research expeditions. In 1987-1988, the Secretariat set up its first research station in Antarctica, Svea. The next year, the Wasa Research Station was opened. As of 2010, the Secretariat is also in charge of the Abisko Scientific Research Station in sub-arctic Sweden. In (northern) summer, it charters the icebreaker Oden from the

Swedish Maritime Administration The Swedish Maritime Administration ( sv, Sjöfartsverket) is the government agency in Sweden which provides services to the transport sector by keeping the sea lanes open and safe. The agency is to a certain degree financed through fees levied o ...

for research expeditions to the

Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...

. The Swedish Polar Research Secretariat represents Sweden (or supports the government) in international negotiations and cooperations pertaining to polar issues. It actively pursues environmental protection of the polar regions. It also issues permits to Swedish citizens to conduct research in Antarctica, under the Swedish Antarctic Act (2006:924).http://polar.se/en/miljöarbete/lagar-och-förordningar/lag-2006-924-om-antarktis/

History

As Swedish polar research advanced in the early 1980s, there was a growing need for more funding, coordination and logistic support. The Swedish Polar Research Secretariat started in 1984 with a budget of 4 million SEK. That same year, Sweden became an associated member of the Antarctic Treaty System, followed by full membership in 1988. In order to achieve full membership, Sweden had to operate a research station in Antarctica, and the 12 m² Svea station was rapidly set up in 1987-1988. The next year, the bigger Swea station opened. A few years later, the Oden became yet another research platform, and in 1991, Oden and the German

Polarstern RV ''Polarstern'' (meaning pole star) is a German research icebreaker of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) in Bremerhaven, Germany. ''Polarstern'' was built by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft in Kiel and Nobiskrug in R ...

became the first conventional vessels to reach the North Pole.

Directors-General

* Anders Karlqvist (1984–1993, 1995–2009) * Olle Melander (1993–1995) * Björn Dahlbäck (2010-2017) * Katarina Gårdfeldt (2018-)

External links

Official website of the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat

Official Twitter-feed

Official YouTube channel of the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat

References

''This article is based on information from the Swedish Wikipedia-article about the same subject, and o
information obtained from the official site of the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat
(both in March 2015). {{authority control Government agencies of Sweden Sweden and the Antarctic Arctic research Science and technology in Sweden Antarctic research