Greenland case study

Question 1

what % of Greenland is covered in ice

Answer 1

80%

Question 2

what type of landscape is Greenland

Answer 2

Glacial

Question 3

what is Greenlands length and width

Answer 3

1,660 miles and 650 miles

Question 4

how far away is Greenland from the North Pole

Answer 4

500 miles

Question 5

how thick is the Greenland ice sheet

Answer 5

5,000 feet reaching a maximum of 10,000 feet

Question 6

what is the population of Greenland

Answer 6

56,653

Question 7

what is the population density

Answer 7

0.14 people per km2

Question 8

what is the population split

Answer 8

88% Inuit
12% European (Danish)

Question 9

what % of the population lives in urban areas

Answer 9

87.5%

Question 10

what do many Greenland Inuit do for work

Answer 10

they work in the growing mining and tourism industry as well as maintaining traditional lifestyles.

Question 11

flora

Answer 11

sedge and cotton grass, plantlike lichens and some dwarfed birch and willow trees

Question 12

fauna

Answer 12

polar bears, reindeer, musk oxen, Arctic foxes, and lemmings can be found on land. Seals and whales can be found in surrounding water as well as multiple species of fish.

Question 13

what are the average winter temperatures in the North and South

Answer 13

-34 degrees (N)
-7 degrees (S)

Question 14

what are the average summer temperatures in the North and South

Answer 14

4 degrees (N)
7 degrees (S)

Question 15

what economic opportunities does Greenland offer

Answer 15

huge potential for hydroelectric power as well as ice retreat revealing valuable deposits of oil, gas metals and minerals

Question 16

how is culture threatened

Answer 16

by modern culture, conservationists and by climate change. Environmental groups have led to hunting bans on species as well as sea ice melting and reducing hunting grounds

Question 17

what does Greenlands ice possess

Answer 17

immense scientific research as the multitude of ice layers contain a unique record of Earth’s climate history formed over millions of years which can be studied using ice cores

Question 18

what was the contribution to global sea level between 1993 and 2010

Answer 18

0.33mm per year

Question 19

what was the reported average rate of ice loss between 1992 and 2001

Answer 19

34 gigatonnes per year

Question 20

what had it increased to between 2002 and 2011

Answer 20

215 gigatonnes per year

Question 21

what % does Greenlands ice sheet contribute to global ice mass

Answer 21

10%

Question 22

if the Greenland ice sheet melted what would the calculated global mean sea level rise up to

Answer 22

7m

Question 23

what is the risk of increased shipping

Answer 23

increases the risk of marine pollution

Question 24

what is the risk of overfishing and discharge of ballast water

Answer 24

may introduce invasive species that may outcompete and displace resident species

Question 25

what are the risks to polar bears

Answer 25

POPs (persistent organic pollutants) are being discovered in high concentrations in polar bears from East Greenland to Svalbard

Question 26

what happened in 2007 politically

Answer 26

political disputes threaten the landscape as well with Russia claiming part of the Arctic seabed leading to nations such as Denmark and Canada now staking their own claims to areas of the seabed.

Question 27

what were the 2014 protests about

Answer 27

reversing a ban on radioactive uranium mining as it could cause devasting impacts on the farming and fishing industries that could be irreversible

Question 28

how is the Greenland ice sheet protected

Answer 28

by cold Arctic waters against the temperate waters of the Atlantic, research teams have also been studying ice cores and comparing them to Antarctic ice cores

Question 29

how fast is Greenland losing ice

Answer 29

7 times faster than it was in the 1990s

Question 30

what is the expected ocean rise at the end of the century from Greenland

Answer 30

7cm

Question 31

roughly how many people live less than 10m above current high-tide lines

Answer 31

1 billion

Question 32

how many people live below 1m

Answer 32

250 million

Question 33

how many people are brought into a flooding situation for every 1cm of sea level rise

Answer 33

6 million

Question 34

what does IMBIE stand for

Answer 34

Ice sheet Mass Balance Inter-comparison Exercise

Question 35

what does IMBIE consist of

Answer 35

89 polar experts from 50 international organisations

Question 36

what has the temperature been over the last decade in Greenland

Answer 36

0.75 degreees

Question 37

how much ice has Greenland lost to the ocean and what's this equivalent to

Answer 37

3.8 trillion tonnes and a 10.6mm sea level rise

Question 38

what is the rate of loss per decade

Answer 38

1mm in the 1990s now 7mm

Question 39

what are the two ways Greenland is losing ice

Answer 39

surface melting with the water running off into the ocean and calving of icebergs where the ice then melts when in contact with the ocean

Question 40

how many tonnes of ice does Greenland shed in an average year now

Answer 40

250 billion

Question 41

what was the ice loss in 2019

Answer 41

370 billion tonnes

Question 42

what is the projection of global sea level rise in 2100

Answer 42

60cm