Nord, Greenland
Encyclopedia
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 (574.1 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
.
, 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. 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. Without American support, the Danish government then decided to close the station as it was expensive to run. After the closure in late June 1972, many scientists and Danish army officials protested and demanded that it be reopened. 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.
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. 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. The landing strip is kept open for approximately 300 days a year and is maintained with two large snow slings and two snow plows.
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
lying 1700 km north of the Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....
at 81°36'°N. It is about 924 km (574.1 mi) from the geographic North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
, 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
Northeast Greenland National Park
Northeast Greenland National Park is the largest national park in the world, with an area of , making the park larger than 163 countries. It is the only national park in Greenland, and the most northerly national park in the world, its most northerly point reaching slightly further than the most...
and of Greenland as a whole (two stations in Peary Land
Peary Land
Peary Land is a peninsula in northern Greenland, extending into the Arctic Ocean. It reaches from Victoria Fjord in the west to Independence Fjord in the south and southeast, and to the Arctic Ocean in the north, with Cape Morris Jesup, the northernmost point of Greenland's mainland, and Cape...
further north, Brønlundhus
Brønlundhus
Brønlundhus, on some maps also Brønlundfjord or Brönlundfjord, is a former research station and radio station located on the western shore of Jørgen Brønlund Fjord in southern Peary Land, in northern Greenland. It is named after Greenlandic Arctic researcher Jørgen Brønlund, or after the namesake...
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
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
.
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 BaseThule Air Base
Thule Air Base or Thule Air Base/Pituffik Airport , is the United States Air Force's northernmost base, located north of the Arctic Circle and from the North Pole on the northwest side of the island of Greenland. It is approximately east of the North Magnetic Pole.-Overview:Thule Air Base is the...
, 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. 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. Without American support, the Danish government then decided to close the station as it was expensive to run. After the closure in late June 1972, many scientists and Danish army officials protested and demanded that it be reopened. 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.
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. 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. The landing strip is kept open for approximately 300 days a year and is maintained with two large snow slings and two snow plows.