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Secret Atlas welcomes aboard Dr. Geir Wing Gabrielsen
Understanding the dynamic Arctic
Dr. Geir Wing Gabrielsen’s deep association to the Arctic started early—born in Finnmark near the North Cape, and he later spent 34 summers in Svalbard creating a lifelong connection to the High North. From those first days on the coast, his curiosity grew into a career shaped by the field: observing wildlife, studying ecosystems up close, and bringing what he learned back into classrooms and public conversations.
He’s the kind of scientist who moves naturally between disciplines. Over the years, his work has spanned behavior, ecology, physiology, and toxicology—because in the Arctic, everything is connected. What happens to animals tells you what’s happening to the environment around them, and what’s happening to the environment reshapes animal life in real time.
And in recent years, one change has been impossible to ignore: the visible rise of plastics along Svalbard’s beaches—and what that means for marine wildlife. What starts as what you can spot from the shoreline becomes deeper evidence in the ecosystem: debris fragments showing up in seabirds, contamination concerns tied to the broader pollution picture, and a growing need for consistent data across regions.
After more than four decades studying the Arctic, Dr. Gabrielsen has witnessed an alarming change: plastic pollution has become a permanent part of even the world's most remote polar environments.
His studies show that plastics now reach every corner of the Arctic—from beaches, seabird colonies, and sea ice to snow, seawater, and the deep seafloor. Much of this pollution arrives from distant regions via ocean currents, rivers, sea ice, and atmospheric transport, while local sources such as fisheries, shipping, and inadequate waste management add to the problem.
Dr. Gabrielsen's work has documented the growing impact on Arctic wildlife, from seabirds, reindeer, and polar bears becoming entangled in discarded fishing gear to fulmar chicks ingesting hundreds of plastic fragments passed to them by their parents.
Through his research, advocacy, and international work with Arctic monitoring programmes, Geir has become one of the leading voices calling for stronger global action to reduce plastic pollution and protect the Arctic's fragile ecosystems.
Another important facet: the Arctic and climate change
One of Dr. Gabrielsen's most significant scientific contributions has been helping to document how Arctic ecosystems are responding to a warming climate. Drawing upon decades of observations across Svalbard and the wider European Arctic, he has helped reveal a profound ecological shift that scientists now call borealization.
As Arctic waters warm, species traditionally associated with more temperate regions are moving northward, while many true Arctic species are becoming less abundant. This transformation is reshaping entire food webs, from plankton and fish to seabirds and marine mammals. Through long-term monitoring and international collaboration, Dr. Gabrielsen's work has helped provide some of the clearest evidence yet that the Arctic is not simply warming—it is becoming a fundamentally different ecosystem.
Revealing the future of Arctic fjords
As a key contributor to the international FACE-IT project, Geir has helped scientists better understand how Arctic fjords are changing as glaciers retreat, sea ice declines, and warmer Atlantic waters penetrate farther north. His research in Kongsfjorden and other Svalbard fjords has documented changes in sea ice cover, glacier dynamics, plankton communities, and marine biodiversity.
These studies are helping researchers understand not only how ecosystems are changing today, but also how Arctic communities, tourism operators, and conservation managers may need to adapt in the future. By bringing together natural scientists and social scientists, FACE-IT created a more complete picture of how environmental change affects both wildlife and people across the Arctic.
Decoding the lives of Arctic seabirds
Long before plastic pollution became a major focus of his work, Geir built an international reputation as one of the Arctic's leading seabird researchers. For decades he has studied how birds survive in one of the most demanding environments on Earth, investigating everything from energy expenditure and feeding ecology to breeding success and population dynamics.
His research has shown how changes in sea ice, prey availability, and predator interactions can influence the survival and reproductive success of species such as fulmars, guillemots, and eiders. These birds act as sentinels of Arctic change, and Geir's work has helped scientists understand how shifts occurring far out in the marine environment ultimately appear in the lives of the animals that depend upon oceanic systems.
Stand beside Dr. Gabrielsen and experience real fieldwork.
Dr. Gabrielsen joins select Secret Atlas expeditions to Svalbard. Our expedition specialists can tell you which departures he's sailing on and what to expect.
What you'll experience onboard
Secret Atlas isn’t just a “watch and learn” trip—it’s a participation expedition. With Dr. Gabrielsen, you’ll move from viewing Arctic wildlife to understanding it through the lens of research methods designed to generate real, comparable evidence.
1) Plastic pollution survey: hands-on, structured, and field-real
Geir's planned beach work focuses on building clear, repeatable datasets across Svalbard’s coastlines. You’ll witness beach surveys using standardized 100-meter transects to quantify:
Macroplastics
Visible microplastics in the approximate 1–6 mm range
As he works, you’ll learn how he documents what he finds with photography, precise geolocation, and sample bagging for later analysis in collaboration with UNIS laboratories.
Where conditions allow, there may also be water sampling to support estimates of nanoplastic prevalence in the water column. The point is clarity and consistency: what he collects is designed to fit the scientific questions and the scale of comparative analysis.
2) Seabird monitoring: what pollution looks like in the food web
Geir will also lead shipboard observations, recording seabird species presence and abundance as together you will watch the Arctic unfold around the vessel. When these bird observations are paired with plastic sampling and broader contaminant research, they help connect the visible debris narrative to the living Arctic story: who’s thriving, who’s under pressure, and how multiple stressors may be reshaping food webs.
3) Lectures that pair field truth with action
You can expect lectures that never talk down, never skip the hard realities, and always return to what can be done next. Geir's communication style is clear, engaging, and deeply informed by a lifetime spent in the field.
He’ll share what he has seen across decades of Arctic seasons: why seabirds matter as sentinels, how plastic pollution moves through remote environments, why Arctic fjords are changing, and how climate-driven ecosystem shifts ripple through every level of life in the North.
A university level understanding in the field
This is the rare kind of expedition that gives guests more than mind-bending landscapes, award winning photographs and hikes ineffable ashore you will never be able to unsee. You’ll also gain:
The confidence of understanding how Arctic research is conducted—not just hearing about it.
The satisfaction of contributing to structured scientific data collection.
A deeper connection that comes from seeing wildlife, climate change, and pollution as part of one interconnected story.
The lasting realization that even remote places are connected to choices made around the globe.
Dr. Gabrielsen has spent a lifetime turning science into understanding—through research, teaching, mentoring, public outreach, and authorship. On Secret Atlas, that same energy translates into an onboard experience that is both meaningful and inspiring.
Interpreting what the Arctic is telling us
The Arctic is changing rapidly. Plastic pollution, climate change, shifting wildlife populations, and retreating glaciers are all part of a larger story unfolding across the polar regions.
Geirs’s mission on his voyages with Secret Atlas on our Expedition Micro Cruises will be straightforward and motivating: gather evidence, understand change, learn from wildlife, and help visitors see the Arctic not simply as a destination, but as one of the world's most important indicators of planetary health.
We are honored to welcome Dr. Geir Wing Gabrielsen aboard Secret Atlas—an exceptional scientist, educator, and storyteller whose decades of Arctic experience brings the region’s past, present, and future vividly to life.
FAQs
Will I get to work alongside Dr. Gabrielsen, or is he primarily lecturing?
Both — but the fieldwork is the point. Dr. Gabrielsen runs structured beach surveys using standardised transects, and guests participate directly: documenting finds, learning sampling methodology, contributing to data that feeds into real Arctic monitoring programmes. The lectures exist to give the fieldwork context. You leave understanding what you collected and why it matters.
Do I need a scientific background to take part in the research?
No. Dr. Gabrielsen has spent decades translating complex Arctic science for non-specialist audiences — through field work, teaching, and public outreach. The surveys are designed to be rigorous and repeatable, not technical. What you bring is curiosity and attention. He provides everything else.
Which expedition does Dr. Gabrielsen join?
He sails on the Svalbard Summer Expedition Micro Cruise aboard Freya, departing 29th June and returning 8th July 2026. Twelve guests. One of the most experienced Arctic scientists alive. Nine days in the field together.
What can I expect onboard an Expedition with Geir?
On an Expedition with Purpose with Geir, you're alongside a scientist who has spent forty summers here generating the evidence that informs how the rest of the world understands it.
Three things running in parallel throughout the voyage.
In the field, structured beach surveys — standardised transects, plastic sampling, geolocation, real methodology — with Geir working alongside you, not presenting to you.
On the water, shipboard seabird monitoring as Freya moves between sites, connecting what you see in the air to what you find on the shore.
And in the evenings, lectures that don't talk down and don't skip the hard realities — forty years of Arctic fieldwork distilled into conversations about what the ecosystem is telling us and what comes next. None of it is passive. That's the point.
Dr. Gabrielsen will be joining the following departures:
Svalbard Summer Micro Cruise
78°13’N, 15°38’E
Set sail in summer, when Svalbard blooms with life, the best time to spot wildlife in Europe’s last great wilderness.
- 12 guests
- 10 days
Be part of a working research expedition
These are rare departures — a working scientist running real fieldwork, with twelve guests who get to be part of it. Book a free call and our expedition specialists will tell you everything you need to know.
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