Seasonal pollution in Northeast Greenland

At the Villum Research Station, a heliumfilled balloon is launched by researchers from the Leibniz-Institut für Troposphärenforschung, Universität Leipzig. In collaboration with Aarhus University, the institute measures wind speeds, turbulence, energy radiation and black carbon, which are soot particles that are released, for example, when coal is burned. Soot particles are an important component of the atmosphere because they absorb sunlight.
ESTHER HORVATH/ALFRED-WEGENER-INSTITUT, 2019

Unexpected results from airborne surveys in the 1970s showed that the air over Greenland was polluted and that the pollution of the Arctic atmosphere required permanent measuring stations in Greenland. The SAGA (Studies of Aerosols in Greenland Arctic) project began in 1979 and included four stations, including Station Nord in Northeast Greenland.

Surprisingly, the results showed that northern Greenland receives substantial seasonal pollution every year. The concentrations of sulphur and heavy metals in March-April had a pronounced maximum, which at Station Nord far exceeds the levels in Denmark.

It became clear that the pollution in Northeast Greenland originated from atmospheric long-range transboundary transport from urban and industrial areas in Russia and Europe. The monitoring of atmospheric content and atmospheric precipitation and its significance in the Arctic food chains remain a central focus of current research at Villum Research Station/Station Nord.

Further reading

Read more about Nature and landscape in Greenland

  • Bo Elberling

    (b. 1968) Ph.D. in Geology and dr.scient. in Geography. Professor at the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen.