Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous region belonging to Denmark and the largest island in the world. It is located east of the Canadian Islands, between the Arctic Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean . Greenland has a territory of about 2,166,086 km², of which ⅔ are covered by glaciers. For this reason, it is commonly compared to Antarctica .
Glacier , also called glacier, is a large mass of ice that forms over a long period of time, which may take up to 30,000 years to form. Glaciers are more common in places where snow accumulates, and this phenomenon needs to be superior to the melting process in the region. The snow is crystallized and compacted in layers, giving rise to large blocks of ice.
Greenland is being extremely affected by climate change . According to experts, the total elimination of the ice cover in the region could contribute to an increase of about seven meters in sea level , although it could take several centuries for this melting to occur.
History of Greenland
Greenland was occupied by the Vikings in the year 981 during their navigations through the northern seas. At this time, they were under the command of Erik the Red.
About 4 centuries after the discovery, the Vikings left Greenland, as they never managed to adapt properly to the inhospitable climate of the region. The Eskimos became the only inhabitants of those lands.
From the century XVIII, Denmark claims that the territory belonged to it due to this Viking incursion and starts to occupy the island. However, in 1953 Greenland constitutionally achieved political equality equivalent to other parts of the Kingdom of Denmark.
General data
- Capital: Nuuk.
- Territorial extension: 2,166,086 km² (¾ of its extension is covered with ice)
- Inhabitants: 56,483,000 (2015 data)
- Climate: Polar. In the west, it is less strict.
- Language: Greenlandic language.
- Religion: Christianity.
- Currency: Danish Krone.
- System of Government: Parliamentary Democracy.
Greenland’s glaciers are of the continental type and consist of thick layers of ice that cover the landform. Studies indicate that if all the ice on the island melts, sea levels could rise by a few meters. Adding the ice at the south pole with that of Greenland, it is estimated that this level would rise by 70 meters.
With regard to the economy, the inhabitants of Greenland live from fishing production and the export of whale oil. Greenland’s subsoil is rich in lead, zinc and tungsten.
On the east coast live the Inuit, formerly called the Eskimos. This indigenous nomadic people is able to live in temperatures below 45º C. Despite being popular, ice igloos are hunting shelters, used for rest and not housing.
The climate is polar . The Arctic is one of the coldest regions on the planet. As a result, even in summer there is no heat and the ground is always covered with snow (only about 410,000 km 2 out of a total of 2,166,086 km² are ice-free).
Greenland is home to Tundra and Taiga , which are vegetation types typical of high altitudes. Bears, moose, wolves, foxes, squirrels and reindeer are examples of animals that can be found in the taiga fauna.
The Ilulissat Ice Fjord, classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, stands out as a tourist attraction.
Main features of Greenland
The main characteristics of Greenland are:
- Climate: polar;
- Capital: Nuuk;
- Language: Greenlandic language;
- Currency: Danish Krone;
- Territorial extension: 2,166,086 km2;
- System of government: Parliamentary Democracy.
As mentioned earlier, Greenland is mostly made up of glaciers. Hence, it has sparse vegetation in the form of Tundra and Taiga. The main forested area in Greenland is found in the municipality of Nanortalik, located in the southern part of the territory.
Greenland has an Arctic-type climate, marked by mild summers and harsh winters. The main economic activities developed in the region are fishing and mining . That’s because Greenland is rich in minerals like iron , zinc, lead, gold , platinum and uranium. Even so, the region is financially dependent on Denmark.
Approximately 88% of Greenland’s population are Inuit. The rest are European and work on the island extracting ores.
Greenland is melting faster than expected
It may already be too late to reverse melting ice in Greenland. According to one study, continued and accelerated warming of the Earth’s atmosphere is causing ice sheets on the island to melt faster than scientists thought, which will likely lead to more rapid sea level rise.
Scientists have long known about melting ice in the southeast and northwest regions of Greenland, where large glaciers have been losing iceberg-sized chunks of ice to the Atlantic Ocean. These pieces float through the ocean and eventually melt. In the new study, however, the scientists found that the greatest loss of ice from early 2003 to mid-2013 came from the southwest region of Greenland, which is devoid of large glaciers.
“Whatever it was, it couldn’t be explained by glaciers, because there aren’t many there. It had to be the surface mass – the ice was melting inland from the coast,” says Michael Bevis, lead author of the study, professor of geodynamics at Ohio State University, USA.
This melting means that in the southwestern part of Greenland, rivers of melting ice are flowing into the ocean during the summer. This region, which was previously not considered a threat, is likely to become an important future contributor to sea level rise. “We knew we had a big problem with increasing ice discharge rates through the outflow of some large glaciers. But we now recognize a second serious problem: Increasingly, large amounts of ice mass will come out as meltwater, like rivers flowing to the sea.”
