summer weather conditions in 2005 and 2016 on the western and eastern coasts of south spitsbergen

The climate of the svalbard archipelago changes with geographical location (latitude and longitude) and is mostly dependent on oceanic and atmospheric circulation, altitude, topography and surface type. the aim of the study was to assess the variability of summer weather conditions on the western and eastern coasts of south spitsbergen and to see it in connection with atmospheric circulation. the study focused on comparison between sub-daily data from field station measurements carried out during two research expeditions to the eastern coast of south spitsbergen in the summer seasons of 2005 and 2016 and from the polish polar station hornsund, located on the western coast. atmospheric circulation conditions were described by the subjective calendar of circulation types for spitsbergen. the results confirmed that atmospheric circulation plays the most important role in shaping weather conditions, however local factors, especially the topography, modify the general weather pattern. the western coast of south spitsbergen proved to be more humid and, consequently, more cloudy and foggy, whereas the eastern coast was characterized by more sunshine, less humidity and more frequent calm air situations. these differences are first and foremost a result of the direction of air-mass advection rather than of the type of pressure system. © 2018 walter de gruyter gmbh. all rights reserved.