Latvian scientist team heads to Greenland

A team of four geologists will study the Qaanaaq ice caps in north-western Greenland. Greenland contains the largest ice mass in the Northern Hemisphere. If it were to melt, global sea levels would rise by seven metres. Information on the condition of the glaciers is mostly obtained remotely from satellite data. However, this data sometimes differs significantly from the reality that scientists observe during their expeditions. Their numerous, heavy rucksacks contain scientific equipment, ground-penetrating radar, measuring instruments, drones, tents and everything else needed to carry out research on the glacier and live in tents. The team of four researchers has a long journey ahead of them. They are heading to the north-west of Greenland, to the Qaanaaq Glacier. For the University of Latvia’s geologists, this will be their third expedition to Greenland and their most ambitious yet. It will last a month. The scientists will study the thermal structure of the outlet glacier – measuring its thickness, ice temperature and water content – in order to assess how glaciers are responding to global warming. “We know that glaciers all over the world are melting, but in reality, we do not know what is happening inside the glaciers, nor how rapidly and uniquely each type of glacier is responding to these climate changes. “For the most part, all the information we obtain about glaciers is gathered remotely or through modelling, but when we go to the site and take actual measurements, the reality may turn out to be completely different from what we imagine. This has been the case in practice, and this is precisely why we are heading to this location: there are scientific publications which have modelled just how warm these glaciers are, but we suspect that this is not actually the case and that we will be able to refute some of these theories,” said Kristaps Lamsters, a senior researcher at the University of Latvia. Four years ago, Latvian geologists studied a relatively small glacier in Qaanaaq. This time, they will reach the research sites by boat. They will set up a camp with a tent on each glacier to store equipment, a generator and food supplies. There are always a few hiccups on expeditions. The main thing is that the equipment doesn’t let us down, said the researchers. “We’re also taking some equipment with us for the first time, such as seismometers. We’ll actually be studying how various natural vibrations spread through these glaciers. Using this information, we’ll also be able to say a little more about what’s inside them and what the bedrock is like,” explained Jānis Karušs, lead researcher at the University of Latvia. Greenland is a high-risk area due to the weather conditions, the glaciers themselves and polar bears. “If we compare this overall with how risky various places around the world are, then these are certainly not the most dangerous glaciers. It is not the most dangerous area, as we are going there in the summer and, as a result, last year’s snow that fell on the glaciers has, in fact, completely melted. We’ll be able to see absolutely every crevasse there is on these glaciers,” said Karušs. Researchers at the University of Latvia have been conducting research in polar regions for more than 10 years. The data they have collected also confirms that the glaciers are melting rapidly and irreversibly. “For the most part, sea levels are rising worldwide because Greenland is melting. This is why sea levels in the Baltic Sea are rising. I would say that, in fact, we as scientists are responsible for researching Greenland to understand what the global impact will be,” added Lamsters. According to various estimates, rising sea levels worldwide could threaten around a billion people. Latvia could face this by the middle of this century.