Case study: Greenland

Question 1

Greenland characteristics?

Answer 1

Located in the northen hemisphere, north-east of canda as part of the american continent geographically but controlled by denmark sovereignty

found between 60 and 83 degrees latitude north of the equator

Question 2

greenland ice sheet characteristics?

Answer 2

area of aproximetly 1.7million square kilometers (80% of greenlands surface cover)

highest elevation is 3000m above sea level

greenlands ice sheet contains 11% of earths freshwater supply

Question 3

facts and figures on greenlands ice sheet?

Answer 3

1992-2018 it is estimated that greenland has lost 3.8 trillion tons of ice

1990-2018 there has been a 2.8 degree celsius temperature increase in greenlands surface temperature

Question 4

accelerated melting process: surface melting?

Answer 4

due to warmer temperatures which can reveal dirty ice and speeds up melting

pressure of cryoconite contributes to surface melting

Question 5

accelerated melting process: moulins?

Answer 5

lubricates and accelerates the flow of glaciers to the coast

Question 6

accelerated melting process: sea ice shelves?

Answer 6

melt from warmer temperature and as warmer oceans melt undersides of the shelves

Question 7

what is cryoconite?

Answer 7

grey to black colored mineral composited of windblown sediments such as soot, dust, soil

Question 8

what is dark ice?

Answer 8

speeds up melting process because it reflects less heat

Question 9

what is a moulin?

Answer 9

cylindrical shaft in the ice in which surface meltwater flows down the surface to the base of a glacier or ice sheet

Question 10

what are the environmental impacts of MGIS on greenland?

Answer 10

+
>more land available for farming for crops such as potatoes and peppers

> growing season has expanded by 3 weeks

-
>since 2009 30 billions tons of ice is lost per year

> more unpredictable weather: droughts, fires, floods and no rain during summer periods

Question 11

what are the economic impacts of MGIS on greenland?

Answer 11

+
>mineral resources revealed by glaciers such as zinc, gold, copper, uranium

> boost in tourism such as in 2017: 267k visitors visited greenland

-
>expenses of overfishing and soil depletion and grazing

> people require training in new jobs and might slow down the economy as there is less goods being produced and sold

Question 12

what are the social impacts of MGIS on greenland?

Answer 12

+
>farming opportunities means more crop variety can be grown for the greenlandic community

> increased fish yields and farming land

-
>the melting ice sheet have exposed native villages to harsh weather, homes deplete into the sea due to sea level rise

> local inhabitants have to pay cost from local pollution