(CNN) More than 200 reindeer have been found dead this summer in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard -- and climate change appears to be the killer, researchers say.

The reindeer likely starved to death after being unable to find food to graze on, according to scientists at the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI), a federal scientific research agency that monitors the wild reindeer population.

"Never before have (researchers) seen so many cadavers at once," Norway's public broadcaster NRK said.

Experts say that Svalbard is on the front lines of the climate crisis.

"Svalbard is among the areas that most clearly notices climate change, which has consequences for the animals living here," NPI stated