Queen Maud Land Receives Royal Visitor

Norway’s King Harald is presently paying a visit to one of Norway’s Arctic dependencies, Queen Maud Land. The purpose of the King’s visit – the first of a Norwegian monarch – is the tenth anniversary of the Troll Research Station.

The King spent yesterday morning on a tour of the research station, accompanied by the Norwegian Ministers for Climate and Environment, Tine Sundtoft and Justice, Anders Anundsen. They party then went on to Troll Observatory, which the  Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU) uses to gather atmospheric measurements to monitor pollution and changes in the air make-up, and the impact on climate change.

Back at Troll, the director of the Norwegian Polar Institute, Jan-Gunnar Winther, briefed King Harald on Norwegian research conducted at the station, which includes glaciology, biology and physics.

“We hope the King will find the residence fine,” the base commander of Troll, Marit Øvstedal, said to NRK of the King having to spend two nights in the conditions of the research station workers.

The research station was officially opened on February 11, 2005 by Queen Sonja, and is Norway’s only year-round operation in Antarctica.

Filed under Norway
Tagged Antarctica, Climate Change, Environment, Harald V of Norway.