Scientific drilling in Northeast Greenland: Greenland Ice Sheet sensitivity to polar amplification and long-term ice-ocean-tectonic interactions

Abstract

The projections of future scenarios under the current trend of global climate change demand a better understanding of the long-term ice-ocean-tectonic interactions, and in particular the potential meltwater contributions from modern ice sheets. The sensitivity of the Greenland Ice Sheet to polar amplification, changes in ocean heat transport and deteriorating perennial sea ice conditions makes the Northeast Greenland margin one of the most critical locations to understand the impact of future climate change on ice sheet instability and associated sea level rise. The development of oceanic gateways controlling the long-term water mass exchanges between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, notably the Fram Strait and the Greenland-Scotland Ridge, have played a pivotal role for the Cenozoic evolution of the Northeast Greenland regions. In Northeast Greenland, ice-ocean-tectonic interactions and coupling between the ice sheet, ocean and sea ice are readily observable today, but geological records that can illuminate long-term trends are lacking. Consequently, NorthGreen MagellanPlus workshop was organised at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland in collaboration with Aarhus (Denmark) and Stockholm (Sweden) universities in November 2022 as an international effort to develop Mission Specific Platform (MSP) proposals on Northeast Greenland margins under the umbrella of the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ECORD). For three days, seventy-one participants (56 in person + 15 online) discussed the key scientific questions and primary targets for scientific drilling in Northeast Greenland. Three pre-proposals have been initiated during the workshop targeting Morris Jesup Rise, Northeast Greenland continental shelf and Denmark Straight.