Glaciers blanket roughly 60 % of Svalbard’s land area, making the archipelago one of the most glacier‑dominated regions outside Antarctica and Greenland. These glaciers range from cold‑based (frozen to their beds) to polythermal (partly thawed at depth), giving rise to varied behaviors—some advance steadily, others surge forward in episodic leaps that can reshape the landscape in a matter of months. The largest ice bodies are the Austfonna and Vestfonna ice caps on Nordaustlandet, each spanning over 2,000 km², from which dozens of outlet glaciers flow toward the coast.