Members of parliament visit Greenland

Westminster group visits Arctic research station

Arctic scientists welcomed a Parliamentary group to their Greenland research station to showcase work which investigates the environment’s impact on regional lakes.

Members of the All Party Parliamentary Polar Group (APPG) spent two nights with academics from º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ where they were taken to the see retreating ice sheets, field sites and research equipment.

The Westminster group, including chairman James Gray MP, spent time with Professor Joanna Bullard and colleagues in the south-west of the country, staying overnight at the Kangerlussuaq International Science Support research station, which included an evening meal of reindeer and musk-ox.

During the day visits, the group was given an insight into the effects of environmental change on natural processes in the Arctic, such as the ecological impacts of wind-blown dust on remote lakes and soil.

Prof Bullard said: “We travelled about 25km east to a point over-looking the Greenland Ice Sheet and some of the lakes that are being used for the º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ research project.

“I explained about the rapidity of climate change in this part of the Arctic and the implications of that for landscape development and the MPs were able to view former positions of the ice sheet, which is retreating.

“The group was then taken right to the ice margin and walked up onto the ice.

“We also stopped to visit some of the instrumented field sites where we are studying soil development and Arctic dust.”

The dust traps used by the º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ team capture high-latitude particles to learn how dust in the earth-atmosphere-ocean system affects Arctic ecosystems.

Some of the dust has been trapped within ice for centuries and only recently been released by the melting west Greenland ice sheet, other material is recycled from Arctic soils.

Chair of the APPG James Gray MP said: “We were delighted to have the opportunity to spend time with Professor Joanna Bullard and her colleagues from º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ to learn more about their NERC-funded research into how Arctic environmental change is affecting lakes in the Kangerlussuaq area.

“British Arctic science is often overshadowed by what we do in Antarctica and we must do more to ensure that Britain’s world-class science in the Arctic has the visibility it deserves.”

The Parliamentary trip to Greenland, made up of 8 MPs and Peers, is part of a week-long visit, between August 23 and August 31, focused on Arctic Policy, the UK's interests in the Arctic and UK-funded Arctic research.

The APPG is, James Gray MP (Con), Mark Menzies MP (Con), Theresa Villiers MP (Con), Brendan O’Hara MP (SNP), John Mann MP (Lab), Stephen Hepburn MP (Lab), Baroness Neville-Jones (Con) and Baroness Smith of Newnham (Liberal Democrats).

ENDS

Notes for editors

Press release reference number:

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is equipped with a live in-house broadcast unit via the Globelynx network. To arrange an interview with one of our experts please contact the press office on 01509 223491. Bookings can be made online via www.globelynx.com

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.

It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2018 QS World University Rankings, top in the country for its student experience in the 2018 THE Student Experience Survey and named University of the Year in the Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2018.

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is in the top 10 of every national league table, being ranked 4th in the Guardian University League Table 2019, 7th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018 and 7th in The UK Complete University Guide 2019. It was also named Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017.

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.

The º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.

 

Categories