IN1207

EGRIP Field Station

Arctic

Open

Station

Greenland

Station

2015

May; June; July; August

EGRIP (East Greenland Ice Core Project) Field Station owned by Centre for Ice and Climate, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

The station is located on the North East Greenland Ice Sheet (75°38’ N, 36°00’ W, 2704 m a.s.l.) within the North East Green­land National Park. The scientific reference area is a 50 by 50 km square with the station in the centre. The station is on the centre axis of the North East Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS), 480 km from Danmarkshavn, 690 km from Ittoqqortoormiit and 350 km NNE of Summit Station. Due to its location in the ice stream, the sta­tion moves 50 m NNE per year.

Landscape is flat and white with only slight variations in altitude in the vicinity of the station. The annual aver­age temperature is around -28 °C and annual snowfall is around 100 mm water equivalent. Temperatures above 0 °C are extremely rare. Birds (geese, seagulls and finches) are the only observed life forms migrating across the Ice Cap.

The station was established in 2015 when the former NEEM ice core drilling station was towed by tractor 465 km to EGRIP. The station has a capacity for 25 (peak 40) residents and there is a doctor, a cook and mechanics on site. The station facilities include kitchen, dining area, bath room, laundry, lounge, elec­tronics workshop, office space with internet, sickbay and flight operations office, carpenters workshop, mechanics workshop and storage. Vehicles at the station include tracked vehicles, snowmobiles and snow throwers. There is also an underground drilling and science area with snow caves and connecting tun­nels. Access to underground areas is by elevators and stairs.

Main research fields are deep ice coring and ice core analysis. Studies of processes at the base of the ice stream and of surface snow composition are also conducted at the station together with weather observations and studies using airborne radar, GPS network, seismic sensors and other geophysical methods. Data and detailed information will be made available on www. iceandclimate.dk.

Nearest human habitation is Danmarkshavn (weather station – 480 km

away). Nearest settlement is Ittoqqortoormiit (690 km away).

The station is accessible by ski equipped aeroplanes only. The station features a 60 m wide and 3.6 km long marked skiway with a 3.6 km marked lead in each end. Fuel is stored in 3 × 15,000 liter steel fuel tanks with an air craft fuel pump with 1000 liter per minute capacity. Flight time from Kangerlussuaq 2.5 hr by LC-130, 5.5 hr by Twin Otter or 4.5 hr by Basler

University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Government

Centre for Ice and Climate, Niels Bohr Institute

jps@nbi.ku.dk, lbl@nbi.ku.dk

Yes

Alfred Wegener Institute, Bremerhaven

National Institute for Polar Research, NIPR, Tokyo

Japan

Bjerknes Centret, Bergen

Norway