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All Greenland Summit Camp

Summit Camp

This remote research station sits amid the second-largest ice sheet on the planet.

Greenland

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Aerial recording of Summit Camp, Greenland.   Capricorn4049/CC BY-SA 4.0
Sun dogs with halos at Summit Camp.   NOAA/CC BY-2.0
A researcher digs a snow pit near Summit Station, Greenland.   Oregon State University/CC BY-SA 2.0
Aerial recording of Summit Camp.   Capricorn4049/CC BY-SA 4.0
Big House (left) and Green House (right).   Capricorn4049/CC BY-SA 4.0
Satellite photo showing Greenland ice sheet.   NASA/Public Domain
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Situated at the highest point of the Greenland ice sheet, the second-largest body of ice on Earth, Summit Camp is one of the most remote research stations in the world. It sits amid an enormous ice cap that covers about 80 percent of the surface of Greenland—a giant frozen mass that would cause sea levels to rise some 24 feet if it were all to melt. 

The station at its apex is also one of the most challenging to access, inhabited by just a handful of people in the wintertime. The nearest town, Ittoqqortoormiit, is 285 miles (460 km) away.

The summit is at an altitude of over 10,000 feet (3,200 meters) and usually experiences temperatures between -58˚F to 14˚F (-50°C to -10°C).

It's open year-round, used by scientists to monitor various aspects of this extreme Arctic climate, such as air-snow interactions, and measure greenhouse gas, among other research.

The two main permanent structures at the camp are called the Big House and the Green House. The former serves as the main building, with offices, the kitchen, a full bathroom, and laundry facilities. The Green House contains a science laboratory, an emergency kitchen, communications, and other amenities, and it is connected to the main living quarters. A generator supplies the station with electric energy, and the heat produced is also used to power a snow melter that provides water to this far-flung facility. 

Related Tags

Research Science Arctic Circle Snow Environment Ice Glaciers

Know Before You Go

Permits from the Danish Polar Center and the Home Rule of Greenland are required to visit the station. Access is provided via the Kangerlussuaq Airport, but during winter visits are infrequent.

The exact coordinates of the station vary because of the constantly shifting ice.

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StepYoshi

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erjeffery, bobrenner38, Meg

  • erjeffery
  • bobrenner38
  • Meg

Published

January 11, 2018

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Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summit_Camp
  • http://cpspolar.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/SummitGuide2017.pdf
  • http://cpspolar.com/project-locations/greenland/fieldsites/summit-station/
  • https://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/mmg_disp.jsp?med_id=61217&from=
  • https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/obop/sum/
Summit Camp
Greenland
72.58, -38.48
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Explore the Destination Guide

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Greenland

Europe

Places 18
Stories 27

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