This is the International Ice Core Camp NEEM - the North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling project (click here to link to their site and diaries) What a place. 14 nations under one set of canvas and plywood roofs. I was there working with the Frenchman below, Fabien Gillet-Chaulet, on a British Antarctic Survey radar project gaining high resolution data from the top 500m of the 3500m of ice in order to better understand the flow of ice within Ice Sheets. It will help the models for future movements of ice in the north and south and hopefully help us predict their fate in the coming years.
This place holds a special place in my heart. It is the edge of the ice cap near Kangerlussuaq on the West Coast of Greenland at around 67 degrees North. The reason it was interesting going back is that I walked there 8 years ago - from the East coast. Unsupported with two others. As you do. 35 days of flat white and a final arrival in "civilisation" all came rushing back. The place has changed a little as the ice receeds, but it was still recognisable as the first land I stood on for 35 days that fateful Spring. Phew.
These three photos are from our little tour of the Russel Glacier as we waited a day in Kanger or our Herc flights onto the ice. Amazing rocks and Ice and Water all in one spot. The power of nature at its best.
Time to go - flying in on a USAF C130 ski plane flown by the 109th Air National Guard from New York. Two and a half hours flight across the mountains of West Greenland and over the ice cap. An arrival at -15 degrees with no wind and gorgeous blue skies 2500m above sea level.
The camp is in the construction phase this year and will be present for four years as an Ice Core project and longer as a science camp. The shadow below is Peter hanging off the dome screwing panels to the framework.
The team at Neem consisted of 16 people from 5 different nations but now numbers are up to 32 and the 14 nations involved will be visiting at some point over the summer months. They are drilling a 3500m ice core to gather ice from the Eemian Age, more than 115,000 years ago, the oldest ice retrieved from Greenland to date.
This photo is my most common view - driving out over the ice cap to specified points, setting up a radar with Fabien, waiting for it to do its thing (anything from 15 minutes if its working correctly to 5 hours if it isn't!) and then attach the sledge, drive on to the next point and do the same again. Another hard day at the office....
Before we completed the radar survey we had to survey the area using a centimetre accurate GPS unit attached to our vehicle of choice. This was a Toyota Land Cruiser fitted with Caterpillar Tracks. Driving across the Greenland Ice cap listening to one of the 6 mutiplay CD's with cruise control and not very useful airconditioning was amusing to say the least....
The core is drilled from within a 7m trench that is excavated and covered in order to maintain the temperature at a steady -22 or so. This keeps the ice core in perfect condition for analysis in the future and lets it settle to the new atmospheric pressure after being buried under millions of tons of ice for thousands of years.
Camp life is always fun, and the Danes know how to have a good time! There is always a dressed up shirt and tie Saturday night where the beer flows freely and good fun is had by all. The Danes also introduced us to a dice game "Maya" - involving a couple of dice and a lots of M&M's - a regular addition to our evenings entertainment and great fun.
"Gandalf leads Frodo in the Saturday Night Dance..."
We even had two visitors arrive at one point - skiing from the southern tip of Greenland and heading for the NW corner. A trip of more than 2400km and solely using skis and kites. They had been going 58 days on arrival at our camp and had another 20 to go. Pete and Pete (conveniently named for a couple of Finns!) on their Greenland 2008 expedition. Good luck for the last few miles Petes!
Pete and Pete head off to the NW coast, 20 days and 500km away...
But finally, after two weeks on the ground completing our radar survey and ready to return again soon (the Danes have given me a job for August as photographer and helper at camp!) it was time to get back on a C130 and fly back to Kangerlussuaq. Luckily we had a VIP flight witht the Wing Commander and General on board so instead of flying back at the usual 20,000 ft we cruised at anything from 2000 to 500ft above the ground - an AMAZING flight back to civilisation and one neither of us will forget in a hurry!!
So that's it, after 3 weeks of adventures in Greenland I'm back in Britain for a busy couple of weeks before heading back to the ice...
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