Project Launched to Save Greenland's Buried Treasures

    NUUK, GREENLAND, November 20, 2014 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Mankind has long been aware of the changes in our environment and the most extensive climate change in our time is the melting ice in Greenland. This change is now threatening to destroy the archaeological finds we have yet to uncover.

We Risk Losing Several Archaeological Treasures
We can still uncover archaeological discoveries in Greenland e.g. in the form of bones, metal and wood, because of the ice's capability to capture and preserve the remains of times past. These discoveries are now in danger, due to the unfortunate fact that the ice cap is slowly melting. Archaeologists fear that future archaeological finds will be compromised by either water, dry rot or tree roots, combined with higher temperatures in the Arctic.

New Project Pinpoints High Risk Areas
In order to secure as many archaeological finds as possible before the ice melts and leaves the finds at nature's mercy, a new project has been initiated to pinpoint archaeological areas of high risk. The National Museums of Denmark and Greenland have formed a coalition, which focuses on mapping out which areas are most threatened by climate change in Greenland. One of the desired outcomes of this collaboration is an interactive map, that pinpoints which areas are especially affected and should be given first priority by archaeologists.

Finds Are Threatened From Land, Sea and Air
One of the main focuses for the coalition is the many kitchen middens, which contain valuable evidence of how Greenlanders have lived for thousands of years. If the ice concealing the kitchen middens melts, the potential finds will be exposed to air, and may start to rot. The findings are also at risk of being swept away by meltwater or covered by new tree and plant growth.

Freezers Will Provide Us With the Answers
To pinpoint which finds and areas are most affected by climate change, researches have filled several freezers in the Danish National Museum with samples from kitchen middens found all over Greenland. The researchers' next job is to measure the oxygen consumption of each piece of wood, bone and metal, which has been collected, at different temperatures, in order to conclude which materials are most affected by increasing temperatures. The results, which will be based on different materials, locations and temperatures, will be the foundation for the interactive map and the mission to rescue as much of Greenland's buried treasures as possible.

Visit Greenland

Hans Egedesvej 29
P.O. Box 1615
3900 Nuuk
Greenland

Website: Greenland.com
Phone: (+299) 34 28 20
Email: [email protected]

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