Summit Camp
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Summit Station, also known as Summit Camp, is a year-round staffed research station near the apex of the Greenland ice sheet. The station is located at 3,216 metres (10,551 ft) above sea level.[1]
The population of the station is typically five in wintertime and reaches a maximum of 38 in the summer. The station is operated by the United States National Science Foundation[2][3] through the logistical-support contractor Battelle Arctic Research Operations (Battelle ARO).[4] A permit from the Danish Polar Center (Template:Langx) under the auspices of the Government of Greenland (Template:Langx) is required to visit the station.
Geography
The station is located approximately Template:Cvt from the east coast of Greenland, Template:Cvt from the west coast (at Saattut, Uummannaq), and Template:Cvt north-northeast of the historical ice sheet station Eismitte. The closest town is Ittoqqortoormiit, Template:Cvt east-southeast of the station. The station, however, is not part of the Sermersooq municipality but falls within the bounds of the Northeast Greenland National Park.
Summit Station consists of the Station Operations Facility (communications and galley), Mobile Science Facility, Atmospheric Watch Observatory, Berthing Module, Summit Mobile Garage, and supporting structures.[5]
The surface elevation at Summit Station has increased at an average of 1.9 cm (0.75 in) per year over the period 2008–2018.[6] Accumulation is the single largest factor in elevation change.
History
Summit Station was originally established in April 1989 in support of the Greenland Ice Sheet Project Two (GISP2) deep ice coring effort.[7] A ski-equipped C-130 from the New York Air National Guard performed an open snow landing near the site, bringing the put-in team consisting of Mark Twickler, Jay Klink, Michael Morrison, and two navigation specialists; Doug Roberts and Jim Normandeau who located the exact location chosen for the GISP2 drilling site, established a camp, and laid out the runway. Subsequent flights brought in additional materials and personnel needed to build the station.
Two major structures were planned and built: The Big House, an insulated panel building (housing a galley, common space, and office), elevated to minimize snow drifts; and a geodesic drill dome to house the deep drill. Extensive under-snow trenches were also constructed to house the core handling, processing, and storage facilities. Many smaller Weatherport hut buildings and tents were also erected as storage and shop areas, as well as sleeping quarters. These were erected and taken down each season. On July 1, 1993, the bedrock was reached. Originally only occupied in the summer, the station has been staffed year-round since 2003, with a winter population of four to five.
The Greenland Telescope is yet to be relocated here, though preparations are still underway.
Climate
The climate is classified as ice cap, with no month having a mean temperature exceeding 0 °C (32 °F). Typical daily maximum temperatures at Summit Camp are around −35 °C (−31 °F) in winter (January) and −10 °C (14 °F) in summer (July). Winter minimum temperatures are typically about −45 °C (−49 °F) and only rarely exceed −20 °C (−4 °F). The highest temperature at Summit Station was 2.2 °C (36.0 °F), recorded on 13 July 2012 and on 28 July 2017;[8] the lowest recorded temperature was −69.6 °C (−93.3 °F) on 22 December 1991, On 6 July 2017 the site recorded the lowest temperature in the northern hemisphere for the month of July at −33.0 °C (−27.4 °F).[9][10] On August 14, 2021, it rained throughout the entire day at Summit Camp, marking the first time since record-keeping began in 1989 that precipitation had fallen in liquid form at Greenland's glacial summit.[11]
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Transport
During the summer months, the station is accessed via Kangerlussuaq Airport with LC-130 Hercules aircraft which land on a 4,572 by 60 m (15,000 by 197 ft) snow runway, which is prepared and regularly groomed for ski-equipped aircraft.[3] Winter access is infrequent, using smaller, ski-equipped aircraft such as Twin Otter flown by Kenn Borek Air.[15]
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See also
- List of research stations in the Arctic
- NEEM Camp
- Camp Century
- Eismitte
- North Ice
- List of mountains in Greenland
References
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- ^ UNAVCO Script error: No such module "webarchive"., UNAVCO Summit Station GPS Base Station
- ^ Summit Camp
- ^ a b Arctic Logistics Information And Support (ALIAS) Script error: No such module "webarchive".
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Battelle Arctic Gateway". Battelle Arctic Gateway. December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
- ^ Summit Camp virtual tour
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hawley, Robert L.; Neumann, Thomas A.; Stevens, C. Max; Brunt, Kelly M.; Sutterley, Tyler C. (October 29, 2020). "Greenland Ice Sheet Elevation Change: Direct Observation of Process and Attribution at Summit". Geophysical Research Letters. 47 (22) e2020GL088864. Bibcode:2020GeoRL..4788864H. doi:10.1029/2020GL088864. S2CID 228968340.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Summit Station". GEOSummit. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Vejrekstremer Grønland". Danish Meteorological Institute (in dansk). Archived from the original on December 27, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ Extreme Temperatures - Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Extreme Temperatures Around the World". Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- ^ Date of maximum temperature - Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Record warmth at the top of the Greenland Ice Sheet". Weather Underground: Dr. Jeff Masters' Wunderblog. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Patel, Kasha (August 19, 2021). "Rain falls at the summit of Greenland Ice Sheet for first time on record". Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 19, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Climatological Standard Normals 1991-2020 – Greenland" (PDF). Danish Meteorological Institute. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Shuman, Christopher A.; Steffen, Konrad; Box, Jason E.; Stearns, Charles R. (2001). "A Dozen Years of Temperature Observations at the Summit: Central Greenland Automatic Weather Stations 1987–99". Journal of Applied Meteorology. 40 (4). American Meteorological Society: 741–752. Bibcode:2001JApMe..40..741S. doi:10.1175/1520-0450(2001)040<0741:adyoto>2.0.co;2. hdl:11603/24315. ISSN 0894-8763.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."ESRL". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.A, Kenn Borek Air Ltd IATA ID: 4K ICAO ID: KBA Suite; Calgary, 808-55th Ave NE. "Kenn Borek Air". borekair.com. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
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External links
- Exploration history of northern East Greenland
- Webcam of Summit Camp
- Summit Camp Homepage
- CH2M HILL Polar Services Homepage for Summit Station
- Weather data of Summit Camp
- Documenting 2013 journey to Summit Station
- ESRL Global Monitoring Division - Summit Observatory
- WeatherPort Shelter Systems
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