A Dartmouth-JSEP partnership for international science education in Greenland

This year Dartmouth begins a new NSF-sponsored partnership with JSEP, the Joint Science Education Project. We have been working with this program since 2011 and now take more of a lead role in directing the science programming in cooperation with Kasper Busk from the Government of Greenland.

IGERT graduate students have already been working with the very inspiring group of JSEP high school students from Denmark, Greenland, and the US. On Tuesday we briefly shared our science projects and on Saturday, the 4th of July, we’ll work with them as mentors and help develop and carry out science projects that look at environmental change in the ecosystems of the Arctic.

Please follow us on twitter. We will be sharing our experiences and knowledge in three languages- Kalaallisut, Danish, and English. Also, tweet to us if you have any questions about what we are doing and learning.

Dartmouth IGERT fellow Jess Trout-Haney, and her field assistant, Zach Wood, discuss lake ecosystems with JSEP students.

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The Snow Walkers’ Rendezvous

A few Fridays ago I had the opportunity to join a cold-loving and charismatic group of people at the Snow Walkers’ Rendezvous. This yearly event is held at the Hulbert Outdoor Center in Fairlee, Vermont and brings together people interested in and experienced with travel, camping, and a diverse range of outdoor activities in the north, including dog sledding, canoeing, and skiing. Presentations and workshops run throughout the weekend on topics such as axe safety, filmmaking in the Arctic, and hypothermia. The gathering has been held for around 20 years, with many members reaching or nearing perfect attendance.

I shared some of our experiences working in Greenland, including camping on top of the Greenland Ice Sheet, teaching Greenlandic, US, and Danish high-school students about Arctic science, and connecting with the various stakeholders in Greenland who are interested in polar environmental change. I did not need to spend any time convincing this group that Greenland is a wonderful place to spend the summer!

Thanks to Wendy Scott for organizing a wonderful evening and to Aleks Gusev for capturing the fun and engaging crowd in the slideshow. We look forward to working with the Snow Walkers in the future.

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The Fleeting Beauty of Ilulissat Icefjord

Kristin had been raving about Ilulissat all summer.  In Nuuk, when we exclaimed about the icebergs in the fjord, she laughed and said, “Just wait for Ilulissat.”  And yet, she kept worrying outloud: “What if the others don’t like it?  What if it really isn’t as spectacular as I think?”  The second our cohort spotted Ilulissat from our plane windows, we knew Kristin had no reason to worry.  She was absolutely right: Ilulissat was so spectacular that our pictures didn’t seem real, even hours after taking them.

Taking in the view from the hotel’s balcony. By this point, we agreed with Kristin completely: Ilulissat was incredible.

Indeed, the natural beauty of Ilulissat, the third largest town in Greenland, has been recognized internationally by the World Heritage Committee.  In 2004, Ilulissat Icefjord joined the ever-growing list of World Heritage sites, which includes familiar locations such as the Statue of Liberty, Yosemite National Park, and Yellowstone National Park.  World Heritage sites are chosen for their ‘outstanding universal value,’ and must meet at least one out of ten selection criteria (to learn more about the selection process, visit the World Heritage Committee’s website).  Ilulissat Icefjord met two selection criteria: being an example of an important stage in Earth’s history, and being a memorable natural spectacle.

There is no doubt that the view of the Ilulissat Icefjord is memorable.  Our first day in Ilulissat, Kathy Young, CPS Science Coordinator, took us on one of the many marked trails around town.  As we rounded the corner and the icebergs came into view, our jaws dropped in amazement.  Continuing along the rest of the hike was slow going – we had to stop every few minutes to stand in awe, take pictures, and pinch ourselves.

Cohort 4 soaks in the beauty of the icebergs during our first day in Ilulissat.

We had to stop frequently to take pictures.

A few days later we experienced something that will stick with me forever.  As we walked from town to the World Heritage Site, cold fog suddenly blew in.  At first, we thought we wouldn’t be able to see any icebergs.  As we looked up, however, we realized that the tops of the icebergs were sticking up through the fog, floating pinnacles of towering ice.  Absolute magic.

Icebergs floating on a bed of fog.

It is Ilulissat’s other reason for World Heritage site selection that makes me pause and think: an example of an important stage in Earth’s history.  Usually, when I think of Earth’s history, I think far back in time: the first life on Earth, the rise of oxygen in the atmosphere.  Ilulissat Icefjord, however, is an example of a very recent stage in Earth’s history.  The fjord was full of ice during the Last Glacial Maximum, and we are today witnessing the retreat of the glacier up the fjord.  Thinking about the site in terms of Earth’s history makes me realize just how fleeting this natural phenomenon is.  At some point, will people stand looking out over the fjord, relying on signs telling them about the icebergs?  Will the location of the World Heritage site seem strange: just another glacial fjord, devoid of ice?  How will they ever know how beautiful it was?

What will this boardwalk lead to in a few hundred years?

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