COMNAP Representative (MNAP): Katarina Gardfeldt, Director-General
(DMNAP): Magnus Auger, Deputy Director
About the Swedish National Antarctic
Program
The
Swedish Polar Research Secretariat is a government agency that promotes and
co-ordinates Swedish polar research, to follow and plan research and
development, as well as to organise and lead research expeditions to the Arctic
and Antarctic regions. Sweden is also dedicated to
protecting the Antarctic environment and has been a signatory to the Antarctic
Treaty since 1961.
To
carry out our scientific goals, Sweden operates two seasonal stations, Svea and
Wasa. The larger of the two, with a 16-person
capacity is Wasa Research Station built in 1988 in Dronning Maud Land. The Svea
Research Station was built in 1987 in the Heimefront Range about 40 miles from
the coast. It is primarily used as a seasonal station for summer field camps.
The icebreaker Oden has been a part
of the Swedish Polar Program since in 1989 traveling in both hemispheres. There
are also helicopters and ATVs (all terrain vehicles) to provide logistical
support.
Above: Wasa Research Station; Below: Svea Research Station.
About the Organizational Structure of
the Swedish National Antarctic Program
The
Swedish Polar Research Secretariat is a government agency under the Ministry of
Education and Research that promotes and co-ordinates Swedish polar research.
Specifically in the Antarctic, the program is known as SWEDARP (Swedish
Antarctic Research Programme). For research planning, the Secretariat
co-operates with the Swedish Research Council.
The
Swedish Polar Research Secretary has a staff of about 30 in various units:
research management, research infrastructure, communications, and
administration. The Swedish Polar Research Secretariat is a single-council-authority,
which means that the head of authority, (i.e. the Director-General) is
completely responsible for all activities. The Government has appointed an
Advisory Council that will provide public insight in the organization and give the
Director-General advice.
The
annual budget for the Swedish Antarctic programme varies from year to year, depending
on current activity. In 2011 the costs for logistics and operations were 3 600 000
Sek while in 2012 it was 8 900 000 Sek. This is for operations and logistics only as
science funding is provided by Universities separately.
Our Science Program
Sweden
participates in numerous science programs. Some main topics for the 2011/12
season were: fossils in Victoria Land, atmospheric radar, the cardiovascular
systems of fish and reptiles and physical oceanography. Any Swedish citizen wishing to apply for
funding can do so. Resources are also available for citizens of other nations.
Wasa Research Station is not far from
the Finnish Aboa Research Station making collaboration with the Finnish
Antarctic Program easy. The icebreaker Oden
has been used in a Swedish-American partnership during 2006-2011, as well with
the US icebreaker, Nathaniel B. Palmer, to conduct marine research and provide
logistic support to the US McMurdo Station.
Beyond the science, there is a strong education
programme, supporting Swedish teachers and teachers from other nations, including
Chile, Germany and the USA since 2000. The programme cooperates with organizations
such as the US National Science Foundation, PolarTREC and ESSAC/IODP.
The Secretariat is upholding the
tradition by allocating space for artists on Swedish research expeditions, as
do several other nations. The arts is interpreted in the broad sense and is not
limited to the visual arts.
Science in Antarctica is
under obligation by the Government to implement an environmental management
system. The Secretariat is driven to
uphold best practice, use environmentally friendly technology and have continuous
monitoring programs. This includes looking at long-term impacts of Swedish
stations and Initial Environmental Evaluations of larger science projects. Environmental
work in Antarctica is carried out with close cooperation from Finland and
Norway resulting in the Nordic Environmental Handbook. This includes monitoring
of stations.
You can find further information in the Nordic Environmental Handbook.
Our Contact Details 
www.polar.se
Postal address
Box 50003
S-104 05 Stockholm
SWEDEN
Physical address
Af Pontins väg 6, hus 4
S-115 93 Stockholm, SWEDEN
Telephone +46 8 450 25 00
Fax +46 8 450 25 99