Greenland Tour a Success

In early November, the first DIS study tour headed off to the wild beauty of Kangerlussuaq, Greenland on a scientific expedition focused on climate change and global warming.

Students on the DIS Greenland study tour

November 17, 2009

The ice sheets and melting glaciers of Greenland are a cause-célèbre in the continuing debates and studies surrounding the increases in global temperature and during the study tour, DIS students experienced first-hand the scientific exploration being conducted in the Arctic.

Check out the Greenland study tour photos on Flickr!

The research center at Kangerlussuaq, which lies at the base of a 100-mile fjord, was the base during the one-credit, faculty-led tour in Greenland. Students attended lectures on issues such as global warming, geology, politics and history and joined field trips to the Russell Glacier and experienced (if briefly!) the amazing Northern lights.

The lectures and tour enabled students to identify and understand important scientific issues and complexes in pre-historic and present-day Greenland and to appreciate the political context of modern Arctic societies and the potential geopolitical conflicts in the Arctic region.

The study tour was deemed an academic success and was enjoyed by all participants and they achieved a better understanding of the melting ice sheet, discussed climate changes, saw magnificent wildlife, and experienced incredibly starry winter nights.

A second tour scheduled for spring 2010 is already filling up fast!