ANNUAL REPORT 2003
|
|
Nature and environment |
|
Perhaps Greenland's first World Heritage Site
The Ilulissat Ice Fjord and the area surrounding the ice fjord constitute a unique area, and in 2003 the Danish Ministry of Culture nominated it for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List. In January 2003, GEUS completed the nomination report, and during the summer an inspection of the area was arranged for a UNESCO representative. The report describes the ice fjord's unique nature with photos, text and videos. The Jakobshavn Glacier terminates into the ice fjord, draining a large part of the Inland Ice and is one of the world's fastest ice streams. It moves at a speed of up to 1 metre per hour, and approx. 35 km 3 icebergs are formed each year. Despite the harsh nature, the coasts of the ice fjord have been populated by humans for more than 4,000 years. A stee-ring group consisting of representatives from the Greenland Home Rule, the municipality of Ilulissat and the Danish Ministry of Culture was behind the project, and the work was funded by the Danish Cooperation for Environment in the Arctic (DANCEA). In June 2004, a UNESCO committee meeting in Beijing will decide whether the site will be included in the World Heritage List. |
|
Assessment of collapse at Møns Klint
On the morning of Saturday 5 July, there was a loud rumble at Møns Klint when part of the "Store Stejlbjerg" cliff collapsed. Luckily, there were no casualties in the collapse, and the Danish Forest and Nature Agency cordoned off the area immediately. Shortly after, a GEUS geologist was on the spot to inspect the collapse and to give advice as to when it could be opened to visitors again. The collapse was surprising since the cliff is normally more stable in the summer, but the combination of a dry spring and extremely heavy rainfall a couple of days beforehand made the cliff collapse. In connection with assessing the danger of collapse along limestone cliffs, GEUS is participating in an EU research project with the object of developing concepts to predict collapses. The project entails testing the ability of different geophysical methods to predict collapses. This work is carried out in five research areas with limestone cliffs -two in the UK, one in France and two at Møns Klint. |
|
Geological maps of Denmark
In 2003, the geological mapping of Denmark was concentrated on mapping the areas southeast, east and northeast of Ringkøbing Fjord in western Jutland. The mapping for the geological map sheet, Skjern 1114 III was completed in the spring of 2003, and in the autumn it was finalised for printing. In the autumn of 2003, the field work continued with mapping of the central part of Skovbjerg Bakkeø, corresponding to parts of the map sheets 1114 I and 1115 II. The work in west Jutland was partly funded by Ringkøbing County in connection with the mapping of the county's areas with special drinking water interests. On the island of Lolland, the mapping of the map sheet, Maribo 1411 II, continued and this map sheet is expected to be completed in 2004. |
|
New theory regarding the formation of icebergs in the North Atlantic
The sediments on the seabed in the North Atlantic contain layers of ice-transported material, the socalled "Heinrich events", which originate from the melting and release of clay, sand and gravel in the bottom of icebergs. The layers show that large armadas of icebergs drifted around the Atlantic during the last ice age for brief, very cold periods. The icebergs particularly came from the earlier ice sheet over North America, but the ice sheets over Greenland and north-western Europe also contributed. Together with researchers from Germany, Sweden and the USA, GEUS collected new marine geological data at the Reykjanes ridge southwest of Iceland which shed new light over the mechanisms leading to Heinrich events. So far, it has been difficult to understand why the many icebergs were formed in cold periods. The new interpretations of data indicate that an increased transport of heat with the Gulf Stream to the north has led to the break-up of the ice sheets and the formation of the many icebergs. As the icebergs melted, large amounts of clay, sand and gravel were deposited on the seabed. However, the melting of the icebergs simultaneously led to the formation of a cold low-salinity layer on the surface of the North Atlantic which at first prevented further heat transport and heat exchange between the atmosphere and the highly saline, warm and heavy bodies of water in the Gulf Stream. This new interpretation, which was published by Elsevier in the magazine Marine Geology, has been the object of great interest amongst researchers. During 2003, the article was the second-most read article on Elsevier's website. |
|
New map basis for Greenlandic national park
The North-East Greenland National Park is the world's largest of its kind. In connection with the increased interest in North and East Greenland, the Greenland Home Rule decided in 2001 that a strategic plan for the North-East Greenland National Park is to be prepared. The strategy will ensure a graduated protection of the region, and it will ensure that the area is included in regional development in Greenland. As a first step in this work, GEUS has compiled digital topographical data of the region from Scoresbysund in central East Greenland to the western North Greenland. These data are based on aerial photographs recorded in the period 1978-87. The data correspond to maps on a scale of 1:100 000 and contain information about the coastline, lakes, rivers, glaciers and show contour lines for each 100 metres. This work, which is funded by DANCEA, will be followed by a geological, biological and archaeological description of the region. |
