White stretching as far as the eye could see. Surrounded by a ring of snow-capped mountains, the imposing glacier seemed immutable. Its front, extending three kilometers wide and 50 meters high, loomed heavily into the water, where slabs of pack ice floated. Eventually, a darker color appeared: A group of walruses were resting, occasionally raising their long tusks. Nothing seemed to disturb the calm and beauty of the Arctic.

In reality, this majestic landscape was neither still nor silent. On this day in May, the icebergs, streaked with blue veins and honeycomb-like pockets, were cracking under the bright sun. From time to time, blocks broke off and masses of ice flipped over. At a latitude of 78°, just 1,000 kilometers from the geographic North Pole, the Svalbard archipelago, part of Norway, is the fastest-warming place on Earth.

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