Excellent Progress
Published on 10.06.2009 - Emirates NBD Greenland Quest
After 18 days, the three-man expedition has already covered 718 km. A superb result.
A point of particular interest about this expedition: more or less every day, its website publishes information relating to global warming and sustainable development. Twenty-odd lines are enough to outline a particular aspect of these great problems and links to other pages are provided for surfers who want to know more about them.
On 2 June, for example, a certain Dr. Sebastian H. Mernild (who works at the Water and Environmental Research Centre, Institute of Northern Engineering of the University of Alaska at Fairbanks), explains in detail the fresh water flows that come from the melting of Greenland's ice each year. This is how we have learnt that the total melting of the island's ice contributes to a regular annual rising of the water by 7 mm, and to an overall rising of the surrounding sea level, between 1995 and 2007, by 10 mm.
Currently, the three men have overcome the first difficulties relating to the undulating surface of the ice in the southern part of the island, they are charging ahead on a free rein towards the north and are trying to cover one degree per day, i.e. 111 km (see our chart).
