Arctic Research Group Expedition 2025: Tempelfjord, Svalbard

A Return to the Arctic Frontier — Four Decades Later

In July 2025, the Arctic Research Group (ARG) returned to the land of polar bears and 24-hour daylight, embarking on a new environmental research expedition to the Tempelfjord region of Svalbard, retracing the path of a scientific journey first taken more than forty years ago.

Honouring the Past, Studying the Future

Forty-two years earlier, in 1983, a research expedition organised by the Polar Exploration Group ventured into the Tempelfjord area. The team conducted studies on snow accumulation across the Fimbulisen icecap and the head of the Burnmurdoch glacier in Bünsow Land, as well as detailed surveys of the flora and fauna in two of Svalbard’s major valleys, Sassendalen and Gipsdalen.

Among that pioneering team were three members who would later go on to found the Arctic Research Group in 1988.

Now, in 2025, the United Nations’ International Year of Glacier Preservation — two of those original explorers have returned to the Arctic frontier.

Group Leader Dr Stephen Staley and Expedition Leader Mike Haynes led a new team of volunteer ‘citizen science’ researchers, combining decades of polar experience with fresh curiosity and modern methods.

Research Objectives

The 2025 expedition set out to replicate the core studies from 1983, using comparable equipment and methodology to reveal how the region has changed over four decades of rapid climate transformation in the High Arctic.

Focus Areas Included:

Measuring snow accumulation on the Fimbulisen icecap and Burnmurdoch glacier
Conducting flora and fauna surveys in Sassendalen and Gipsdalen

By revisiting these original datasets, the team aimed to uncover new insights into:

Variations in snow volume and accumulation patterns
Shifts in Arctic biodiversity
Broader indicators of climate change and its impact on polar ecosystems

The 2025 Tempelfjord Expedition stands as both a tribute to the pioneering scientists of 1983 and a vital continuation of their work — linking past discoveries to the urgent questions of our warming planet.

“The expedition has been two years in planning and preparation. From securing permits and ship charters to completing funding applications, it’s been a major effort by our dedicated team of volunteers. Now, with flights booked, team selected, and research approvals in place, we’re ready.”

Dr Stephen Staley

Collaborative Research Projects

In addition to the repetition of research studies, two further research projects will be carried out during the 2025 expedition:

GlaciGas Project – Nitrogen Biogeochemistry

Led by Professor Andy Hodson of UNIS, whose work is funded by the Research Council of Norway, this study investigates nitrogen cycling beneath large polythermal glaciers.

The ARG team will add to the scope of the research through their unfunded fieldwork and they will:

Sample glacier meltwaters
Conduct in-field analyses and sample preparation for subsequent lab testing

Their voluntary work will help Prof. Hodson in the examination of whether nitrogen generation observed in smaller glaciers also occurs in Svalbard’s larger ice masses.

Plastic Beach Debris Study and Collection

Building on ARG’s previous collaboration with SALT, this initiative will:

Collect and catalogue visible plastic waste from Svalbard’s remote beaches
Return debris to Longyearbyen for recycling where possible
Secure and report any remaining debris to the Sysselmesteren for possible future removal

This work will contribute to growing knowledge of Arctic plastic pollution, helping to track the origins and spread of marine debris in fragile polar environments.

Expedition Leadership

Group Leader, Arctic Research Group

Dr Stephen Staley

Experienced polar scientist, a member of the 1983 expedtion and a co-founder of ARG, Dr Staley brings extensive expertise in glacial and environmental field research. Steve will lead the advance team of three to carry out preparations in Longyearbyen for the main expedition.

2025 Expedition Leader

Mike Haynes

A member of the original 1983 Tempelfjord expedition, an experienced team member and also a co-founder of the ARG, Mike returns again to Svalbard this time to lead a team including a new generation of researchers to the same Arctic archipelago that has kept drawing him back.