The west coast of Spitsbergen remains navigable most of the year, due to favorable winds which keep the area ice-free.

Norway claims a 200 nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi) fishery protection zone, but this is not recognized by neighboring Russia.

The climate of the Svalbard archipelago is arctic, tempered by warm North Atlantic Current along the west and northern coasts.

[1] Ice floes often block up the entrance to Bellsund (a transit point for coal exports) on the west coast and occasionally make parts of the northeastern coast inaccessible to maritime traffic Although many prior adverse practises are now banned, the issues surrounding past exploitation of animal resources in the Svalbard area remain a problem.

[2] There are a wide variety of birds in Svalbard including puffin, Arctic skua, kittiwake and fulmar,[3] many of which populations are being monitored.