Nordvest-Spitsbergen National Park (Norwegian: Nordvest-Spitsbergen nasjonalpark) is located on the Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. It covers parts of the northwest section of Spitsbergen, including Albert I Land and Haakon VII Land, as well as nearby islands such as Danes Island and Moffen. The park has warm springs and volcanic remains in Bockfjorden.

History

There are remains of whaling stations and graves from the 17th century. Also, there are remains from several Arctic expeditions. For example, in Virgohamna and Danes Island, there are traces of a journey started by Swedish engineer S. A. Andrée in 1897. He tried to reach the North Pole using a hydrogen balloon, but the attempt failed. The park was established by a royal decision on June 1, 1973.

Fauna

The park is home to many groups of seabirds, along with Svalbard reindeer and Arctic foxes. It is also a place where polar bears sleep during the winter, and walruses can be found there. About one-third of the area, which includes sea cliffs, islands, and other coastal features, has been recognized as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International. This is because the area supports breeding populations of barnacle geese, brent geese, common eiders, and black guillemots.

Hot springs

The Troll and Jotun hot springs in the park near the Bockfjorden are the northernmost recorded hot springs on land. They are located at nearly 80 degrees north latitude. These springs were first recorded in the late 1800s. Scientists named Hoel and Holtedahl studied the springs carefully. They found that the Jotun hot spring has a temperature of 24.5 °C, and the Troll hot spring has a temperature of 28.3 °C.