Dr. Geir Wing Gabrielsen

Born in Finnmark, built by the sea

Why plastic matters in Svalbard and the High Arctic

Few people have spent as much of their lives studying the Arctic as Dr. Geir Wing Gabrielsen. A field biologist, polar researcher, and gifted communicator, Geir has devoted more than four decades to understanding the wildlife and ecosystems of the Far North. Whether he is standing on a windswept seabird cliff in Svalbard, speaking about the hidden lives of Arctic birds, or explaining the challenges facing polar environments today, his enthusiasm is infectious. Guests quickly discover that spending time with Geir is like opening a living encyclopedia of Arctic natural history—one filled with stories, humour, and firsthand experience.

Geir earned his Dr. Philos. degree from the University of Tromsø in 1994 and went on to lead the Ecotoxicology Section at the Norwegian Polar Institute for nearly three decades. Today he serves as Professor Emeritus at both the Norwegian Polar Institute and the University Centre in Svalbard. His research has explored the behaviour, ecology, physiology, and toxicology of Arctic seabirds, with a particular focus on how these remarkable animals survive and thrive in some of the harshest conditions on Earth.

Since the early 1980s, Geir has conducted fieldwork throughout Svalbard and across the Arctic, including long-term studies in Kongsfjorden, Hornøya, Bjørnøya, Hopen, Hornsund, and Alaska. His work has helped scientists better understand how environmental contaminants, climate change, and, more recently, plastic pollution affect Arctic wildlife. He has also participated in numerous research cruises and has been deeply involved in international Arctic science through the Arctic Council's Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), helping to shape understanding of pollution and environmental change across the circumpolar world.

One of Geir's greatest strengths is his ability to connect scientific research with the real Arctic that guests see around them. A colony of guillemots, a distant glacier front, a fulmar soaring alongside the ship, or a piece of plastic washed ashore can become the starting point for a fascinating conversation that draws upon decades of observation and discovery. His lectures are known for being engaging, thought-provoking, and filled with insights that bring the Arctic vividly to life.

Geir has supervised generations of master's and doctoral students and has received numerous honours, including the prestigious Nansen Prize for Polar Research. He is also the co-author, with writer Kirsti Blom, of several acclaimed books, including Seabirds in the Arctic, Plastic Waste in the Ocean, and Environmental Contaminants in the Arctic. Together they are currently working on a new book examining how climate change is affecting Arctic wildlife and the people who call the North home.

For Secret Atlas guests, Geir offers something truly rare: the opportunity to explore the Arctic alongside a scientist whose life's work has been devoted to understanding it—and whose passion for sharing that knowledge remains as strong today as when he first began his fieldwork more than forty years ago.