Forecasting Melting Points in Svalbard, Norway Using Quantile Gradient Boosting and Adaptive Conformal Prediction Region

Abstract: Using data from the Longyearbyen weather station, quantile gradient boosting (``small AI'') is applied to forecast daily 2023 temperatures in Svalbard, Norway. The 0.60 quantile loss weights underestimates about 1.5 times more than overestimates. Predictors include five routinely collected indicators of weather conditions, each lagged by 14~days, yielding temperature forecasts with a two-week lead time. Conformal prediction regions quantify forecasting uncertainty with provably valid coverage. Forecast accuracy is evaluated with attention to local stakeholder concerns, and implications for Arctic adaptation policy are discussed.