Greenland Flashcards
1
Q
Ice Loss Stat
A
84 giga tonnes between September 2021 - August 2022
2
Q
CO2 / CH4 Stats
A
- 0.5% rise since 2021
- 38 billion tonnes released in 2016
3
Q
Temperature Stats
A
- Average global rise of 0.8 C since 1880
- 2022 - 6th warmest year on record, 0.86 C higher than the 20th century average
4
Q
Animal migration
A
- Mackerel, herring and Greenland cod appearing in warm waters
- Seals and Northern Shrimp moving north to colder waters
- Polar bears appearing with less body fat, further south to scavenge in towns
- Disappearing shrimp may cause disappearing cod
5
Q
Mining
A
- Predicted 50% of all Earth’s rare earth minerals
- 48 billion barrels worth of oil
- Iron, copper, gold, diamonds, zinc, uranium
- Most mining is near Narseq, by the Tanbett Mining Company
- GDP of $3 billion in 2021 (highest yet)
6
Q
Paris Agreement
A
- 4 November 2016
- 197 signatories, 187 ratified
- Goal to keep average global warming temperatures below 2 C, recommended 1.5 C
- Annual standard commitment of $100 billion
7
Q
National Response
A
- 1% of GDP annually
- Store Glacier, 2nd largest, near Uummannaq
- Meltwater travelling through cracks converts gravitational energy into thermal energy, extracted by Bukesfjord hydroelectric power plant
- Summer 2014, 82 million cubic metres of meltwater
- Comparable to Three Gorges Dam
- 70% of Greenland’s energy is renewable
- Little impact to MISAG, as Greenland already contributed to less than 0.1% of global emissions
8
Q
GIS
A
GGDS (Greenland GIS Database System)
- Surface topography, ice sheet boundaries, ice motion and snow accumulation
9
Q
Local response
A
Change in employment
- Hunting to mining and fishing/whaling
10
Q
Social impacts
A
Loss of culture
- Inuit people and their cultural practices of hunting on the ice sheets
- Hunting dog teams dropped from 5000 to 1800 in 20 years
