Ice sheet/glacier - ocean interaction and its consequence on the society in northwestern Greenland

The Greenland ice sheet and peripheral glaciers are rapidly losing mass under the influence of pronounced warming in the Arctic region. Such changes were firstly observed in the south, and recently spreading into northwestern Greenland. Recession of ice and increase in meltwater discharge are affecting the regional and global environments. Further, chaning coastal environments affects human activities in the region.
Our research project investigates glacier and ice sheet changes with special emphasis on ice-ocean interactions. Warming ocean is suspected as the trigger of rapid retreat of calving glaciers. In turn, ocean environments and marine ecosystems are influenced by increasing amount of meltwater discharge. Understanding such interactions of ice sheet/glacier and the ocean is crucial to predict future changes in the coastal environment in Greenland and their influence on the society.
To this end, we perform field and satellite observations, sampling and analyses of snow/ice and sea water, and numerical modeling of glaciers and the ocean. Our focus is the region nearby Qaanaaq, one of the northern most villages in northwestern Greenland. Qaanaaq is inhabited by 600 people and they are living on a Greenlandic traditional way of life, such as hunting animals and fishing using dog sledges on sea ice. These activities are now affected by drastically changing natural environments. For example, use of a dog sledge is limited in a shorter season because of declining sea ice. Changes are expected in marine resources under the influence of warming ocean. The goal of our project is to provide the indigenous people in Qaanaaq useful information for their activity. Accurate data on changing glaciers and the ocean should help them to adjust their life to the changing environment.
This project is running under the framework of Arctic Challenge for Sustainability Project (ArCS). ArCS is a Japanese initiative to investigate rapidly changing Arctic and its influence to global environment. Our study is a contribution to one of the ArCS project "Variations in the ice sheet, glaciers, ocean and environment in the Greenland region" and supported by ILTS as one of the Research Program of Joint Research Division.

Qaanaaq –study site–
Field campaign 2015
Field campaign 2016
Field campaign 2017
Field campaign 2018
Field campaign 2019
Field campaign 2022
Field campaign 2023
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