Zackenberg Research Station, Northeast Greenland

The major questions addressed by the long-term research and monitoring programme, Zackenberg Ecological Research Operations (ZERO) at Zackenberg are:

• How and why does climate variability and change influence the function of high arctic ecosystems?
• How do high arctic ecosystems affect climate?

In the 2011-15 strategy for Greenland Ecosystem Monitoring (GEM, in which ZERO is embedded) thirteen specific questions, to be addressed during 2011-15, have been put (Rasch et al. 2012: Greenland Ecosystem Monitoring Strategy and Working Programme 2011-15. DCE – Danish Centre For Environment and Energy, Aarhus University. 82 pp).

List of publications:

http://www.zackenberg.dk/publications/peer-reviewed-papers/

Zackenberg Research Station is a Greenlandic research infrastructure in high arctic Northeast Greenland. The research station consists of a terrestrial branch at Zackenberg (74 28’N; 20 35’W) and a marine branch at Daneborg (74 18’N; 20 13’W). In total the infrastructure can accommodate 35 scientists at a time. The infrastructure provides all relevant basic equipment and facilities for natural science in the Arctic. This includes, among other things, well-equipped laboratories, differential GPS, different surveying equipment, climate stations etc. An extensive ecosystem monitoring is carried out as an integrated part of the run of the research station. Data from the monitoring (in total 3,500 both biotic and abiotic parameters are measured each year) are provided free-of-charge to scientists using the infrastructure.

Zackenberg Research Station is situated in a unique setting in an undisturbed high arctic ecosystem in Northeast Greenland. The station has its own long-term research/monitoring programme which is by far the most extensive of its kind in the Arctic. A total of 3,500 parameters are measured each year. Data from this monitoring programme are reported each year in the ZERO Annual Reports (http://www.zackenberg.dk/publications/annual-reports/) and data from the programme are provided free of charge to any scientists using the station.

Zackenberg Research Station is open for any scientists being interested in using the facility. The capacity is however limited, and therefore approval of stay will be made based on applications (relevant forms available on www.zackenberg.dk). For 2012-14 it is possible for any EU scientists not being Danish/Greenlandic Citizens to apply for reimbursement of travel and accommodation costs through the EU project INTERACT (www.eu-interact.org). Calls for applications to this so-called Transnational National Access Programme are announced on the homepage of INTERACT twice every year, and evaluation of projects is carried out by a scientific committee based mainly on scientific quality of project and participants.

An up-to-date price list is available on www.zackenberg.dk/price_list. The daily cost for accommodation incl. full board is currently 147 €. A round trip to Zackenberg (based on commercial and charter flights from any European airport serviced by Icelandair) costs 3.420 €

Dr. Morten Rasch, Scientific leader, Direct: +45 87158676 e-mail: mras@dmu.dk