Close to the magnetic poles of the earth, navigation by compass is unreliable at best and dangerous at worst. Oddly, though, helicopters use true north and south for their navigation. They manage to do this with ease, fulfilling their basic mission. That's may not seem too tough at an airport which deals with only about a dozen different planes all season. But it's not all that easy.
Runways are busy places, even when there are no planes around.
Surveyors are out on the runway checking the sea ice movement, snow plows are keeping the path clear, maintenance workers are checking lights and navigational equipment, and the decelerometer crews are measuring the braking qualities of the ice. Any time a plane comes near, to take off or land, the tower clears the runway of all people and equipment and calls out the fire department's crash vehicle in the event of a mishap. It's all done by radio, and largely without the aid of tower radar, except in bad weather. Then the machine in the downstairs closet goes to work. It's the pilot's eyes, connected to the airplane only by the voice of the tower controller, every five seconds during final approach in bad conditions.