One of the goals for maintaining the frigid polar temperatures was maintaining the food chain from phytoplankton to large mammals.
If the weather system that keeps the Arctic cold becomes too wobbly, the ice melts too much for a large phytoplankton bloom. Happily, the Arctic is still cold enough, and some phytoplankton still blooms.
Around the island of Svalbard, an abundance of phytoplankton and ice comprises a last stand for the ecosystem. Some mammals like polar bears, seals, arctic foxes, reindeer, and whales are here.
There is an effort to keep those mammals and us mammals apart. No hunting or photography is allowed on the island. Humans must not go inland of the fort-like city. At the city harbor, guards wielding electric sabers run at any polar bears that get too close.
The guards also perform their sword forms in the interim.
Inside the city is the Svalbard Seed Vault preserving seeds from all over the world. Svalbard has become a safety vault for both plant and animal life. It also has fantastic museums; it’s a fascinating place to visit.

It also has great museums, and it’s a fascinating place to visit.