Meteorological observations 2003 at the Sermilik Station,Ammassalik Island,Southeast Greenland

Geografisk Tidsskrift, Danish Journal of Geography 105(2):49–56, 2005

Meteorological stations have been in operation since 1993 at Sermilik (65°40'N, 38°10'W), located in southeast Greenland. This note presents meteorological observations for the year 2003, including ground temperature, orographic effect (liquid precipitation) and air temperature lapse rates between two meteorological stations, Station Nunatak (515 m a.s.l.) and Station Coast (25 m a.s.l.).     

Meteorological observations 2005 and in a longer perspective at the Sermilik Station,Ammassalik Island,Southeast Greenland

Geografisk Tidsskrift, Danish Journal of Geography 107(2):59–68, 2007

Meteorological stations have been in operation since 1993 at Sermilik (65°40'N, 38°10'W), Ammassalik Island, southeast Greenland. This note presents meteorological observations for the year 2005 from the two meteorological stations: Station Nunatak (515 m a.s.l.) and Station Coast (25 m a.s.l.). The year 2005 was dominated by a temporal break down of Station Nunatak and defect instrument recordings at both stations. Average yearly measurements at both meteorological stations: Station Nunatak (1994–2004) and Station Coast (1998–2005) are presented to illustrate the climatic variability within the Mittivakkat Glacier catchment, and further compared with simultaneous standard synoptic meteorological DMI station climate observations (1994–2004) at the town Tasiilaq (Ammassalik) in order to establish transfer functions (linear regressions) and describe the spatial variability of climate variables.     

A Compilation of Radiocarbon Dates from Disko Bugt,Central West Greenland/Meteorological Observations in 1996 at the Arctic Station,Qeqertarsuaq (Godhavn), Central West Greenland/A Discussion on Pingos in Mellemfjord,Disko, Central West Greenland/Open System Pingos in Mellemfjord,Disko, Central West Greenland: A Reply to Gurney and Worsley

188 new and previously published radiocarbon dates on Holocene material from Disko Bugt, central West Greenland, are presented together with relevant informations (laboratory number, place name, dated material, geografic coordinates, altitude and δ¹³C-value) about the dates.

In October 1990 an automatic weather station was established at the Arctic station (65 °15′N,53 °31′W), Qeqertarsuaq (Godhavn), Central West Greenland. The Station register parameters each 20 min., and the parameters have been described in an earlier paper in this journal by Nielsen et al. (1995). The present paper summarises main points of the climate during 1996.

Open system, or more correctly, hydraulic pingos, are genetically poorly understood. A continuing problem concerns their need for a perennial groundwater supply (intra- or sub-permafrost). This has to be maintained despite the existence of continuous permafrost in many areas where they are located. Recent work on Disko Island has suggested a new type of hydraulic pingo developing only in a “marsh environment”. It is argued that the marsh setting is not relevant to the formation of these features and that they are simply hydraulic pingos.

Abstract

A group of marsh initiated open system pingo remnants from the Iterdlagssûp kûgssua valley mouth, in Mellemfjord, Disko Island, Central West Greenland was described in Christiansen (1995). Gurney and Worsley (1997) state that the location of this group of pingo remnants in the Iterdlagssûp kûgssua valley mouth is of no relevance to their genesis, and that they presumably were the result of an assumed late Holocene sea level regression, causing permafrost to be established in the valley bottom. In this reply the arguments by Gurney and Worsley (1997) on the Iterdlagssûp kûgssua valley pingos are commented, and it is argued by way of sea level information, frost penetration and water supply that the special setting must indeed have caused pingo initiation and growth. Furthermore, the area has experienced a relative sea level rise during the late Holocene.     

Meteorological Observations in 2000 at the Arctic Station,Qeqertarsuaq (69°15'N), Central West Greenland

An automatic meteorological station has been operating at the Arctic Station (69°15'N, 53°31'W) in West Greenland since 1990. This paper summarizes meteorological parameters during 2000 including snow and sea ice cover, ground temperatures and active layer development, and presents comments on the local permafrost thickness.     

Meteorological observations 2006 and ground temperature variations over 12-year at the Sermilik Station,Ammassalik Island,Southeast Greenland

Geografisk Tidsskrift, Danish Journal of Geography 108(1):153–161, 2008

Meteorological stations have been in operation since 1993 at the Sermilik Research Station (65°40′N, 38°10′W), Ammassalik Island, Southeast Greenland. This note presents meteorological observations for the calendar year 2006 from the two meteorological stations: Station Nunatak (515 m a.s.l.) and Station Coast (25 m a.s.l.). The year 2006 record is not complete due to a temporal break down of Station Coast (from end-of June through beginning of August). Special focus is given to ground temperature measurements at the meteorological Station Nunatak (1994–2006) 0.1 and 0.3 m below the surface. Data are presented to illustrate the intra- and inter-annual temperature variability and possible trends in the upper part of the soil.     

Meteorological observations 1998 at the arctic station,Qeqertarsuaq (69°15'N), Central West Greenland/Active layer monitoring in two Greenlandic permafrost areas: Zackenberg and Disko Island

An automatic meteorological station has been operating at the Arctic Station (69°15'N, 53°31'W) in West Greenland since 1990. This paper summarises meteorological parameters during 1998, including snow cover, ground temperatures and active layer development, and presents comments on the local permafrost thickness.

Abstract

Active layer monitoring in Greenland was started in 1996 and 1997, and forms part of the Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring (CALM) Network of the International Permafrost Association (IPA). The results of the first years of this monitoring of thaw progression and maximum active layer thickness in two Greenlandic permafrost areas are presented. Two sites are in the continuous permafrost zone at Zackenberg in NE Greenland (74 °N), and one at Disko Island in W Greenland (69 °N), at the border between discontinuous and continuous permafrost.

The data collected at Zackenberg demonstrate interannual variation in the timing of thaw progression in the monitoring grid holding a seasonal snowpatch, while there is less variation in the horizontal grid without a snowpatch. The maximum active layer thickness for the two Zackenberg grids is more or less consistent for the first three years with averages from 58 to 66 cm in mid and late August. At Disko the active layer reached 71 cm in mid August 1998. Spatially the distribution of the maximum, annual active layer thickness within the grids is concordant.     

Meteorological Observations in 1995 at the Arctic Station,Qeqertarsuaq (Godhavn), Central West Greenland/Concentrational Agriculture: Types,Functions, and Derivation/Den Danske Nationalkomité for Geografi

In October 1990 an automatic meteorological station was established at the Arctic Station (69°15'N, 53°31'W), Qeqertarsuaq (Godhavn), Central West Greenland, The station register parameters each 20 min, and the parameters have been described in an earlier paper in this journal by Nielsen et al. (1995). The present paper summarises main points of the climate during 1995.

Concentrational agriculture, defined as types of agriculture based on local concentration of plant nutrients, encompasses two main types: shifting cultivation and infield-outfield systems. They may ecologically be characterised by their mode of concentration: either by a vertical or a horisontal transfer (‘pumping’) of nutrients, respectively. The use of the general term ‘concentrational agriculture’ for the two forms is advocated by demonstrating that functional substitution of one by the other is possible, and by showing that the one type theoretically can be derived from the other. Historically, infield-outfield systems are supposed to be developed from some form of shifting cultivation.

Kort beretning om virksomheden i 1995

Justering af medlemskredsen. I forbindelse med valg af repræsentanter fandt en justering af repræsentationsområder sled (Århus Universilet har ikke længere fagområdet ‘kulturgeografi’). Videnskabernes Selskab har i samme forbindelse bifaldet, at fire observatører, repræsenterende undervisningstrinene i geografi deltager i møderne.     

Meteorological Observations 2002 at the Arctic Station,Qeqertarsuaq (69°15'N), Central West Greenland

An automatic meteorological station has been operating at the Arctic Station (69°15'N, 53°31'W) in West Greenland since 1990. This paper summarises meteorological parameters during 2002, including snow cover, ground temperatures and active layer development, and air temperatures at the Station during the last 12 years are compared to large scale trends during the last century.

A compilation of 93 sedimentation rate determinations based on ²¹⁰Pb dating has been carried out for the North Sea-Baltic Sea transition area from a database containing 165 determinations carried out by Danish institutions. In the depositional parts of the area sedimentation rates generally range 25–6403 g m^?2 y^?1. An extreme rate of 13351 g m^?2 y^?1 is observed on a station in the Skagerrak. Sedimentation rates significantly increase with depth indicating that the Skagerrak and northern parts of the Kattegat as well as the deep basins in the Baltic Sea act as depocentres for fine-grained sediments. Apparently, sedimentation rates have increased in recent years.     

Winter seabird distribution and abundance off south-western Greenland, 1999

South-western Greenland constitutes an internationally important wintering area for many seabird species. Several species of management concern have a predominantly near-coastal distribution, though available information about seabird numbers is mostly confined to offshore waters. Here we report on extensive aerial surveys conducted in March 1999, covering the coastal waters (up to 15-20 km from the mainland coast) and fjords of south-west Greenland. The most widespread and numerous species were estimated as 463 000 common eiders ( Somateria mollissima ), 153000 king eiders ( S. spectabilis ), 125000 thick-billed murres ( Uria lomvia ), 94 000 long-tailed ducks ( Clangula hyemails ), and 12 000 black guillemots ( Cepphus grylle ). A total of 19 bird species were recorded. The estimates for common eider and long-tailed duck approximately represent the entire winter population in south-western Greenland while estimates for the other species represent only an unknown proportion since their distribution continues further offshore. Waters around Nuuk and within the Julianehåbsbugten (Julianehåb Bay) area were identified as areas of high seabird density. A large proportion of the common eider population was aggregated in the fjord systems (22%), calling attention to the importance of fjords for this species. In contrast, pelagic seabird species appear to be absent from the fjords. The large winter population of common eider reveals the importance of south-western Greenland as a key wintering area for the eastern Canadian breeding population. The western Greenland breeding population is the only other contributor, probably amounting to no more than 15 000 pairs.     

Diatoms reveal complex spatial and temporal patterns of recent limnological change in West Greenland

Diatoms in sediment cores were analysed across a range of stratigraphic resolutions along a transect of 23 lakes spanning the ice-free margin of the west coast of Greenland (~67°N), to explore spatial and temporal patterns of recent (last ~150 years) environmental change in the region. These records display heterogeneous lake development trajectories over the last several centuries. Estimates of species composition turnover (beta-diversity) since 1850 AD are among the lowest for lakes in the Arctic, and are comparable to “unimpacted” reference lakes from temperate regions. Most of the change that occurred in West Greenland lakes pre-dates potential industrial anthropogenic effects, while post-1850 change is well within the natural range of variability for these systems. Nonetheless, a spatial pattern in core “top–bottom” changes is apparent across the transect: lakes in the arid interior of the region, adjacent to the ice sheet, and those with higher pH, register greater change than those in the more maritime climate of the coast. This suggests that climate plays an indirect role in the recent development of these lakes, and that recent anthropogenic forcing has not yet exceeded major ecological thresholds in this region.     

Coastal environments around Thule settlements in Northeast Greenland

Geografisk Tidsskrift—Danish Journal of Geography 110(2):143–154, 2010

Inuit have travelled to and settled in the coastal landscapes of Northeast Greenland for several longer periods during the latest ca. 4500 years. Most recently the Thule culture Inuit lived in the region from around 1400 until 1850 AD. The access to partly and periodically ice covered near coastal waters has been crucial to the primarily marine based subsistence strategy of the Thule Inuit culture, and their settlements are therefore found immediately at the coast. Changing geological and geomorphologic settings strongly influence the coastal morphodynamics, and only specific locations offer stable and protected conditions needed for proper winter settlements. The comprehensive study of coastal environments and Thule culture winter settlements in the Young Sound region show an accumulation of winter settlements, nearly all located either in protected pocket beaches or on stable basalt capes. The Thule culture abandoned Northeast Greenland about 1850 AD, and apart from settlements on basalt capes, most of the winter settlement sites in pocket beach areas have been affected by erosion of local character and in some cases also affected by increasing wave erosion during recent periods of less ice in near coastal waters.     

Recent marginal changes of the Mittivakkat Glacier,Southeast Greenland and the discovery of remains of reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), polar bear (Ursus maritimus) and peaty material

Geografisk Tidsskrift, Danish Journal of Geography 108(1):137–142, 2008

During field observations in August 2005 antler remains of a reindeer were found at a recently deglaciated site at about 500 m asl., and bones from a polar bear were found at about 300 m asl. along the margin of Mittivakkat Glacier, Southeast Greenland. Radio carbon dating determined the age of the samples to 720 ¹⁴C years and 350 ¹⁴C years, respectively. In August 2006 old surface vegetation covering peaty material became exposed due to ice recession close to the site where the antler was found. The radio carbon age of small roots from the material was determined to 1530 ¹⁴C years, and is in agreement with dating of woody remains of Salix glauca found close by, at the top of a nearby nunatak in 1999. The antler indicates that reindeer lived in the area when the glacier began to advance from a position where it was close to or smaller than today. The vegetation surface and peaty material indicate that the climate was warmer before the onset of the Little Ice Age in Southeast Greenland than today.     

Holocene palaeoecology of southwest Greenland inferred from macrofossils in sediments of an oligosaline lake

We retrieved a lake sediment record from an oligosaline, meromictic lake in southwest Greenland. The record spans the last 8,200 cal. years and was radiocarbon dated and analysed for macroscopic remains of plants and animals. The record extends the known history of several invertebrate species back in time, and provides minimum ages for their immigration to Greenland after the last deglaciation. Shells of the ostracod Ilyocypris bradyi were found in sediments dated to the time interval c. 7,000–6,500 cal. years BP. Shells of this species were found previously in a nearby oligosaline lake, where its occurrence was dated to about the same short time interval. The species is a thermophilous, non-arctic taxon that is absent from the present day Greenland fauna, and we suggest that its former occurrence in west Greenland marks the peak of the Holocene thermal maximum. This is in agreement with other records from Greenland.     

Fishing Arctic Foxes Alopex lagopus on a rocky island in West Greenland

On a small barren island in Disko Bay, West Greenland, 195 hours were spent observing Arctic Foxes at their den and the nearby coast. Their main food was found to be live, caught fish, and the activity of the foxes was correlated with the tidal height. S. M. Nielsen, Arctic Station, University of Copenhagen. DK-3953 Godhavn, Greenland.     

南大洋二氧化碳源汇分布及其海-气通量研究

在 1 999年 1 2月 - 2 0 0 0年 2月“雪龙”号科学考察船往返于中山站和长城站期间 ,进行了大气及海表层 CO2 分压的连续测量。研究结果表明 ,在 80°W- 0°- 80°E之间 ,南大洋基本上是大气 CO2 的汇 ,尤其在 45°W- 3 0°W及 1 0°W- 1 0°E之间 ,是 CO2 的强汇区 ,往返的两次观测结果十分相似。观测发现 ,南大洋 1月份吸收大气 CO2 的能力近两倍于 1 2月份 ,这是由于该海域1月的生产力比 1 2月份高 ,因而反映了初级生产对大气 CO2 吸收的显著影响。利用最新的 K值计算方法表明 ,1月份二氧化碳的入海通量为 3 .98mol/(m2 · a) ,1 2月份的为2 .1 3 mol/(m2 · a) ,综合两个月的值平均 ,南大洋夏季 CO2 的平均通量为 3 .0 6 mol/(m2 · a) ,是南半球夏季一个重要的汇区     

Shrimp trawl catches and stomach contents of redfish, Greenland halibut and starry ray from West Greenland during a 24-hour cycle

A total of 179 redfish (Sebastes spp.), 495 Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) and 133 starry ray (Raja radiata) stomachs were collected from the catch in four bottom trawl hauls carried out at 6-hour intervals on a shrimp fishing ground off West Greenland in September 1991. Between 90 and 96% of the total catch in each of the four trawl hauls consisted of northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) . The fish catches were small and dominated by redfish, Greenland halibut, starry ray and polar cod (Boreogadus saida) . The stomach contents of redfish consisted of crustaceans (mysiids, hyperiids and copepods) followed by cephalopods, northern shrimp and redfish. Fish (mainly redfish), cephalopods and northern shrimp were the most important stomach content of Greenland halibut. The stomach content of starry ray consisted mainly of northern shrimp and redfish. Plots of redfish and shrimp sizes found in the stomachs of Greenland halibut and starry ray versus predator size showed only weak associations indicating that availability overruled the importance of size-dependent prey preference. The present study indicates that redfish, Greenland halibut and starry ray feed throughout the 24-hour cycle with no clear diel feeding rhythms.     

The influence of temperature, moisture, and eolian activity on Holocene lake development in West Greenland

Holocene paleolimnological records (diatoms, organic content, spectrally inferred sediment chlorophyll-a) from three West Greenland lakes (~67°N) situated along a transect from the outer coast to a nunatak at the periphery of the Greenland Ice Sheet are used to explore the nature of regional postglacial lake development and its relationship to Holocene climate evolution. The lakes were deglaciated asynchronously by approximately 4?ka (earliest on the coast) and thus their sediment records document different starting points of Holocene ontogeny, both temporally and paleoclimatically. Despite similar time-transgressive characteristics of the diatom stratigraphies, overarching climatic factors, principally effective moisture, and eolian inputs, govern individual lake development. The transition to Neoglaciation between 5.6 and 4?ka BP marks a shift toward a cooler, moister, windier climate from the aridity and higher temperatures of the mid-Holocene (8?C6?ka BP). A shift toward increased aridity, windiness, and eolian activity is documented in the interior lakes over the last 500?years. These lake records demonstrate the sensitivity of freshwater lakes in arid regions to changes in effective moisture and highlight the role of wind and eolian activity in Arctic lake environments.     

Total mercury in hair of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from Greenland and Svalbard

Concentrations (ppm = ug/g dry weight) of total mercury (Hg) were determined in hair of polar bears ( Ursus maritimus) from northwestern Greenland (N = 22; period of sampling: 1978-1989), eastern Greenland (N = 44: 1984-1989) and Svalbard (N = 31; 1980). For subadults (2-6 years of life), adults (7-10 years). and old bears (>10 years), concentrations of total Hg in hair were not found to be dependent on age or sex. A decreasing trend in Hg concentrations was found from west to east. The mean concentrations of total Hg in hair (cubs of the year and yearlings excluded) were: northwestern Greenland, x = 8.38 ppm (min.-max.: 4.71-14.19 ppm. N = 21); eastern Greenland: x = 4.58 ppm (min.-max.: 2.50-8.83 ppm. N = 41); and Svalbard, x = 1.98 ppm (min.-max.: 1.02-4.55 ppm, N = 29). Concentrations found in northwestern Greenland were similar to those reported by others from the hair of polar bears sampled within management zone F of the eastern Canadian High Arctic. Concentrations of total Hg in polar bear hair from eastern Greenland were similar to concentrations found by others in contemporary (1988) material collected during spring in western Svalbard. However, the mean concentration of total Hg in the 1980 Svalbard material, which was collected during July-September, was significantly lower than concentrations found in samples taken during late winter and spring in eastern Greenland and at Svalbard, respectively. Presumably the relatively low concentrations found in the 1980 Svalbard sample arc attributable to the period of moult and hence a larger proportion of newly grown hair in the individual samples. In a subsample consisting of internal tissues from 19 polar bears from eastern Greenland (1984-1987), concentrations of total Hg in hair correlated positively with concentrations of total Hg (wet weight) in muscle (N = 6), liver (N = 19) and kidney (N = 19) tissue. For liver and kidney tissue these relationships were statistically significant.     

Geochemistry of groundwater in front of a warm‐based glacier in Southeast Greenland

Groundwater in front of warm‐based glaciers is likely to become a more integrated part of the future proglacial hydrological system at high latitudes due to global warming. Here, we present the first monitoring results of shallow groundwater chemistry and geochemical fingerprinting of glacier meltwater in front of a warm‐based glacier in Southeast Greenland (Mittivakkat Gletscher, 65° 41′ N, 37° 48′ W). The groundwater temperature, electrical conductivity and pressure head were monitored from August 2009 to August 2011, and water samples were collected in 2009 and analyzed for major ions and water isotopes (δD, δ¹⁸O). The 2 yrs of monitoring revealed that major outbursts of glacier water during the ablation season flushed the proglacial aquifer and determined the groundwater quality for the next 2–8 weeks until stable chemical conditions were reached again. Water isotope composition shows that isotopic fractionation occurs in both groundwater and glacier meltwater, but fractionation due to evaporation from near‐surface soil moisture prior to infiltration has the most significant effect. This study shows that groundwater in Low Arctic Greenland is likely to possess a combined geochemical and isotopic composition, which is distinguishable from other water sources in the proglacial environment. However, the shallow groundwater composition at a given time is highly dependent on major outbursts of glacier water in the previous months.     

Multi-scale analysis on last millennium climate variations in Greenland by its ice core oxygen isotope

The empirical mode decomposition method is used for analyzing the paleoclimate proxy δ18O from Greenland GISP2 ice core.The results show that millennium climate change trends in Greenland record the Medieval Warm Period (MWP) from 860AD-1350AD lasting for about 490 years,and the Little Ice Age (LIA) from 1350AD-1920AD lasting about 570 years.During these events,sub cooling-warming variations occurred.Its multi-scale oscillations changed with quasi-period of 3-year,6.5-year,12-year,24-year,49-year,96-year,213-year and 468-year,and are not only affected by ENSO but also by solar activity.The oscillation of intrinsic mode function IMF7,IMF8 and their tendency obviously appear in 1350AD which is considered as the key stage of transformation between MWP and LIA.The results give more detailed changes and their stages of millennium climate change in high latitude areas of the Northern Hemisphere.