The Changing Ice Sheet at Camp Century, Northwest Greenland

af William Colgan

The Greenland Ice Sheet is now changing due to climate change. This is shifting the balance between snowfall and melt, as well as the speed at which glaciers flow. Depending on society’s choice of climate scenario in the next century, Greenland may or may not have an ice sheet in year 3000.

Camp Century is an abandoned 1960s-era facility in the near-surface layers of the ice sheet in Northwest Greenland. In response to concerns from the Government of Greenland over the potential remobilization of contaminants from Camp Century due climate change, the Government of Denmark established a program for long-term climate monitoring, as well as one-time waste mapping, at Camp Century.

This presentation describes the goals and scientific outcomes of the Camp Century Climate Monitoring Programme. This includes installing climate and ice monitoring instruments at the site, analyzing the subsurface debris field using ice-penetrating radar, and projecting future climate at the site using computer models. These climate projections suggest that net snowfall accumulation will continue at Camp Century beyond year 2100 under the full range of future emissions scenarios. The Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland continues to maintain a monitoring presence at Camp Century today. The site remains very challenging to reach, and we are looking into ‘new’ old-fashioned ways of travelling there more reliably and sustainably.