Nord, Greenland

Station Nord is a military and scientific base in northeastern Greenland lying 1700 km north of the Arctic Circle at 81°36'N. It is about 924 km (574 mi) from the geographic North Pole, on Prinsesse Ingeborg Halvø (Princess Ingeborg Peninsula) in northern Kronprins Christian Land, making it the northernmost permanent settlement and base of the Northeast Greenland National Park and of Greenland as a whole (two stations in Peary Land further north, Brønlundhus and Kap Harald Moltke, are not permanently occupied). The Danish Defense Command has a base there, which is staffed by five Danish NCO's who have a tour of duty lasting 26 months; accommodation is also available for over twenty scientists and other personnel during the summer months. The station has about 35 buildings. It is not accessible by ship. Ice conditions would permit a passage only every five to ten years. The name Nord simply means "north" in Danish.

History

The station was built by “Grønlands Televæsen” for the Americans during the period of 1952 to 1956 as a weather and telecommunications station, with a runway, ICAO code BGMI. It was needed for more accurate weather reports for Thule Air Base, and also as a base for the Sirius Patrol. The station would serve as an airstrip for aircraft from the US Air Force that operated in the polar region, and for civilian aircraft en route across the North Pole. The construction of Station Nord was undertaken by Danish entrepreneurs and financed by the Danish government, with the Americans contributing to the transportation of equipment from the Thule Air Base and paying subsidies to maintain the operation of the station.^[1] Some of the equipment that the US Air Force originally supplied is still in use at the station. Until its closure in 1972 it was run as a civilian base by the Greenland Technical Organisation (GTO).

In April 1971, the Americans announced that the US Air Force would end sending goods and fuel from Thule to Station Nord, as they no longer regarded it necessary for their operations in the polar region.^[1] Without American support, the Danish government then decided to close the station as it was expensive to run.^[1] After the closure in late June 1972, many scientists and Danish army officials protested and demanded that it be reopened.^[1] Station Nord was important to the Danish army as a military base as it meant they were able to fly and land in the northern part of the National Park and to support the operations of the dog sledge Sirius Patrol in the area. In 1974 the defence command submitted plans to build a patrol station and a landing strip. Reconnaissance began in March 1974 by the air force and helicopters from “Grønlandsfly” and cabins for the sledge patrol began to be built and patrol depots restocked.^[1]

With the establishment of a weather station and the base now built, Nord was reopened in August 1975 by the Danish Defense Command (DDC) as a military base for a trial period. The station was recognized as important as serving as a gateway to otherwise- inaccessible parts of northern Greenland and was kept on a permanent basis.^[1] Today the operation of the station is under the responsibility of the GLK (Grønlandskommandoen), but is manned on a daily basis with personnel from the 3 defenses of the Danish army and 5 volunteers stationed there one year at a time.^[1] The landing strip is kept open for approximately 300 days a year and is maintained with two large snow slings and two snow plows.^[1]

Climate

References