Danish Minister for Climate and Energy visits the Zackenberg Research Station in Northeast Greenland Published 25.08.2010
The Greenland Climate Research Centre came along to show the Minister Lykke Friis around Daneborg and Zackenberg and tell her about the MarinBasis Zackenberg and Nuuk programmes as well as the Climate Research Centre’s other ongoing and scheduled research activities in and around Greenland.
First stop in the area was Daneborg where the marine research and monitoring activities are situated. Researchers from the Climate Research Centre and the Danish National Environmental Research Institute at Aarhus University had just completed this season’s field work, which had been a bit easier to perform this year due to an unusually low amount of sea ice.
A tour was also given of the new research facilities in Daneborg. The research facilities include a laboratory, a boat house and new living quarters of 154 m2 to accommodate researchers whose stay will now be more comfortable during their work in the fjord Young Sund and at sea off NE Greenland. The buildings and a small research vessel are financed by the Aage V. Jensen Charity Foundation. The buildings are expected to be completed in September and they will be taken into use this winter for investigation of the sea ice off the fjord Young Sund through an extended cooperation between Greenland and Canada.
Following the visit to Daneborg, during which a polar bear and a couple of walruses were spotted, the group flew by helicopter to a glacier behind the valley Zackenbergdalen. On the glacier the party visited a measuring station from the GlacioBasis programme, which takes automatic measurements of climate, movements and melting of the glacier. The measuring station is part of a network around Greenland.
In the evening, a tour was given of the station area at Zackenberg. Zackenberg is comprised by a number of houses containing accommodations, laboratories, generator houses, etc.
The following day, after a talk in the station’s assembly building, a tour was given of the study fields at Zackenberg, where the work of KlimaBasis, BioBasis and GeoBasis was presented by employees and students from the station. Finally, before leaving for Denmark, the delegation had the opportunity to visit the old hunting station at Zackenberg.
Photo: Søren Rysgaard.
The new research house at Daneborg will be finished in the autumn og 2010. It has been finansed by the Aage V. Jensen Charity Foundation. Photo: Søren Rysgaard.
Zackenberg is owned by The Government of Greenland and is operated by the National Environmental Research Institute. The work at Zackenberg is coordinated through the programme Zackenberg Ecological Research Operations with the following institutions as partners:
· National Environmental Research Institute, Aarhus University
· Greenland Institute of Natural Resources
· University of Copenhagen
· Asiaq, Greenland Survey
· Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland
The work at Zackenberg is carried out through means funded by:
· The Danish Energy Agency
· The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation
· The Government of Greenland
· Aage V. Jensen Charity Foundation
