Eismitte

Eismitte is the name of the wintering station of the Greenland Expedition of Alfred Wegener ( July 1930-August 1931 ) in the Greenland ice sheet. The coordinates of the buried in the snow and the ice station, 71 ° 11 'North and 39 ° 56' West, at an altitude of 3,010 meters. The distance to the nearest coast was 402 km.

At station 1931, temperature extremes between -64.9 ° C and -2.8 ° C were measured from 1 September 1930 to 31 August. The coldest month ( February 1931 ) had an average temperature of -47.2 ° C, the warmest (July 1931) -12.2 ° C. During the same period, a precipitation of 110 mm measured ( the majority of which, surprisingly, in the winter). On the width of the station from May 13 to July 30, midnight sun, while on 23 November there until January 20, polar night.

The location of the station would now fall into the area of the Northeast Greenland National Park, just north of the northern boundary of the former municipality Ittoqqortoormiit.

History

The meteorologist John Georgi was appointed by Wegener to head the station Eismitte. Georgi made ​​the first sled trip to Eismitte to build the station and begin meteorological measurements. Due to time problems and difficult weather conditions it was only rudimentary, to supply the station with three transports sufficient. In addition, driven by a message from Georgi and Ernst concern that this would give the station without additional food and fuel, Wegener made ​​with the meteorologist Fritz Loewe and 13 Greenlanders on a fourth and final transport trip before winter. This journey began on September 21. Because this year, early-onset blizzards of transport had to be abandoned. The Greenlanders returned home to Rasmus Villumsen ( 1909-1930 ). The goal of the Next travelers became merely to replace Georgi and concern for overwintering. Wegener, Villumsen and Loewe achieved by consuming all reserves Eismitte on October 30. Loewe were frozen to death on the last days of travel any toes. These were amputated by Georgi. Wegener and Villumsen occurred on November 1, the return journey, they did not survive.

Under extremely difficult conditions observations were carried out throughout the winter. Georgi was responsible for meteorological measurements and concern for the glaciological investigation of the ice itself this he dug a 16-meter deep shaft and led the first density and temperature profile measurements in the Greenland ice sheet. The importance of this pioneering effort of Glaciology was not recognized until decades later, when profile measurements for the study of climate change were important. Loewe had to endure during the six months of winter in the Firnhöhle the station in the sleeping bag and the two could not assist in scientific work.

On May 7, the first time reached a Aerosledges Eismitte who brought the still ailing Loewe in just two days in the West Station. On the same day a dog team arrived. Georgi ensured that the measurements were continued in order to obtain a full year of observation and occupied the station for up to 10 weeks alone. His experiences in Eismitte he kept buried in the ice in the book. Experiences firmly on the last station Eismitte Greenland Expedition of Alfred Wegener.