![Wegener Expedition-1930 13](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/Wegener_Expedition-1930_13.jpg)
Eismitte, in
English
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* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
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also called Mid-Ice, was the site of an
Arctic
The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...
expedition in the interior of
Greenland
Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...
that took place from July 1930 through August 1931, and claimed the life of noted
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
scientist
Alfred Wegener
Alfred Lothar Wegener (; ; 1 November 1880 – November 1930) was a German climatologist, geologist, geophysicist, meteorologist, and polar researcher.
During his lifetime he was primarily known for his achievements in meteorology and ...
.
The name "Eismitte" means ''Ice-Middle'' in
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
, and the campsite was located from the coast at an estimated altitude of 3,010 meters (9,875 feet). The coldest
temperature
Temperature is a physical quantity that expresses quantitatively the perceptions of hotness and coldness. Temperature is measured with a thermometer.
Thermometers are calibrated in various temperature scales that historically have relied o ...
recorded during the expedition was −64.8 °C (−84.6 °F) on March 20, 1931, while the warmest temperature noted was −1.8 °C (28.8 °F) on July 9, 1931.
For the 12-month period beginning August 1, 1930 and ending August 5, 1931, the warmest month, July, had a mean monthly temperature of −12.2 °C (10 °F), while the coldest month, February, averaged −47.2 °C (−53 °F). Over the same period a total of 110 millimeters (4.33 inches) of water-equivalent
precipitation
In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...
was recorded, with most of it, rather surprisingly, being received in winter. At the latitude of the camp, the sun
does not set between May 13 and July 30 each year, and
does not rise between November 23 and January 20.
Sorge pit 1930
Ernst Sorge was a member of the Alfred Wegener Expedition to Eismitte in central Greenland from July 1930 to August 1931. He hand-dug a 15 m deep pit adjacent to his beneath-the-surface snow cave, which served as his living quarters during his seven-month-long wintering-over stint. Sorge was the first to systematically and quantitatively study the near-surface snow/firn strata from inside his pit. After meticulous examination of the structural features and careful measurement of continuous density and other physical properties within the pit profile, Sorge determined the characteristics of the individual limits of annual snow accumulation. This research validated the feasibility of measuring the preserved annual snow accumulation cycles, like measuring frozen precipitation in a rain gauge.
Climate
Eismitte is one of the coldest locations in the Northern Hemisphere, with an annual mean temperature of having been recorded during the period of the expedition. Eismitte has a polar
ice cap climate
An ice cap climate is a polar climate where no mean monthly temperature exceeds . The climate covers areas in or near the high latitudes (65° latitude) to polar regions (70–90° north and south latitude), such as Antarctica, some of the northe ...
. A weather station was run for approximately one year; the weather record thus is very sparse. The
Summit Camp
Summit Camp, also Summit Station, is a year-round staffed research station near the apex of the Greenland ice sheet. The station is located at above sea level. The population of the station is typically five in wintertime and reaches a maximu ...
station slightly to the north has a similar climate with a much longer period of record.
See also
*
North Ice
North Ice was a research station of the British North Greenland Expedition (1952 to 1954) on the inland ice of Greenland. The coordinates of the station were , at an altitude of above sea level. The British North Greenland Expedition was led by ...
*
Summit Camp
Summit Camp, also Summit Station, is a year-round staffed research station near the apex of the Greenland ice sheet. The station is located at above sea level. The population of the station is typically five in wintertime and reaches a maximu ...
*
NEEM Camp
NEEM Camp was a small research facility on the northern Greenland Ice Sheet, used as a base for ice core drilling. It was located about 313 km east of the closest coast, Peabody Bay in northern Greenland, 275 km northwest of the histor ...
*
Camp Century
Camp Century was an Arctic United States military scientific research base in Greenland. situated 240 km (150 miles) east of Thule Air Base. When built, Camp Century was publicized as a demonstration for affordable ice-cap military outposts ...
*
Renland
Renland is a peninsula in eastern Greenland. It is a part of the Sermersooq municipality. Despite its proximity to the coast Renland has an ice cap climate with bitterly cold winters and very low maximum temperatures in the summer.
Renland was na ...
*
Pole of inaccessibility
A pole of inaccessibility with respect to a geographical criterion of inaccessibility marks a location that is the most challenging to reach according to that criterion. Often it refers to the most distant point from the coastline, implying a ...
References
External links
* Hourly meteorological observations at station Eismitte by Johannes Georgi ().
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History of Greenland
1930 in science
1931 in science
Arctic expeditions