Field Stations for Glacier-Climate Research, West Greenland

Abstract

During the past ten years, the Geological Survey of Greenland (GGU) has measured glacier mass-balance parallel with basic climate elements. Field stations were operated near the margin of the Greenland ice sheet in Johan Dahl Land 1978–1983, at Qamanârssüp sermia 1980–1986 and at Tasersiaq since 1982. Measurements of snow accumulation and ice ablation are made at many stakes drilled into the ice. Ablation measurements are made daily at the stakes closest to the stations while more distant stakes are only measured a few times during the season. The climate measurements include air temperature, precipitation, wind, humidity, evaporation, sunshine duration and shortwave radiation. The field stations are expensive to operate but it will be possible to change over to cheaper field programmes in the future by relying on automatic instruments and by stressing “index” measurements.