Acoustic studies of tourist sites in Longyearbyen identified by respondents

Svalbard is a Norwegian province in the Arctic, covering the Svalbard archipelago and islands within 71°– 81° N and 10°– 35° E. The largest town on the largest island – Spitsbergen – is Longyearbyen, with a population of around 2100. It is the main centre of administration for the governor's office, and there are many public buildings, housing estate, a harbour, and an airport. This paper presents the results of acoustic measurements conducted at selected popular tourist destinations near Longyearbyen. The sites for this study were chosen based on the analysis of a survey aimed at identifying preferences in tourism activities in the Longyearbyen area. Based on the responses, three groups of tourist activities were identified: (1) Longyearbyen activity: a round trip to town, a visit to the Svalbard Museum, historic Coal Mine no. 3 and the University Centre in Svalbard UNIS, (2) Snowmobile trips: to Barentsburg, East Cost and Elveneset, (3) Nature hikes: trips to the summits of the Sarkofagen and Trollsteinen peaks, hiking on the Lars Glacier, the Longyear Glacier and the Tell Glacier and visits to glacier caves. Of these sites, acoustic analyses (sound pressure level – time and frequency characteristics) were conducted at the following locations: Longyear Valley: UNIS area and city centre, Advent Valley: dog sleds and snowmobile rides, Nature hike: Sarkofagen peak and caves in the Lars Glacier and the Longyear Glacier.