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Welcome to the Greenland Ice Sheet Project (GISP). GISP was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and identified as the major NSF scientific initiative in the Arctic during the late 1970's and early 1980's. GISP was a decade long project that involved scientists and funding agencies from Denmark, Switzerland and the United States. Besides NSF, funding was provided by the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Danish Commission for Scientific Research in Greenland.
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The preliminary GISP field work started in 1971 at Dye 3, where a 372 m deep, 10.2 cm
diameter core was recovered. After this, anual field expeditions were carried out to drill
intermediate depth cores at various locations on the ice sheet (see table below). The first
was a 398 m core at Milcent and another was a 405 m core at the Crete station in 1974. After working out various logistical and engineering problems related to the development of a
more sophisticated drilling rig, drilling to bedrock at Dye 3 began in the summer of 1979. In
the first year, an 18 cm diameter hole was drilled and cased to a depth of 80 m. Coring
continued for two more seasons and on August 10, 1981 bedrock was reached at a depth of
2037 m.
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The results obtained from GISP have added a great deal to the interpretation of the history of
the Greenland ice sheet, the climatic history of the earth, and have demonstrated the
significance of the climatic record stored in ice sheets.
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References:
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Clausen, H.B., N.S. Gundestrup, S.J. Johnsen, R. Bindschadler, and J. Zwally. 1988. Glaciological
investigations in the Crete area, Central Greenland: A search for a new deep-drilling site.
Annals of Glaciology, 10:10-15.
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Dansgaard, W., S. J. Johnsen, J. Moller, and C.C. Langway, Jr. 1969. One thousand centuries of
climatic record from Camp Century on the Greenland ice sheet. Science, 166:377-381.
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Dansgaard, W., S.J. Johnsen, N. Reeh, N. Gundestrup, H.B. Clausen, and C.U Hammer. 1975.
Climatic changes, Norsemen and modern man. Nature, 255:24-28.
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Hansen, L.B., and C.C. Langway, Jr. 1966. Deep core drilling in ice and core analysis at Camp
Century, Greenland, 1961-1966. CRREL Spec. Report 126, no. 5, p.207-208.
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Johnsen, S.J., W. Dansgaard, H.B. Clausen, and C.C. Langway, Jr. 1970. Climatic oscillations
1200-2000 A.D. Nature 227:482-483.
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Johnsen, S.J., W. Dansgaard, H.B. Clausen, and C.C. Langway, Jr. 1972. Oxygen isotope profiles
through the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets. Nature 235:429-434.
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Langway, C.C., Jr., H. Oeschger, and W. Dansgaard (eds.), 1985. Greenland ice core:
Geophysics, geochemistry and environment: Geophysical Monographs, v. 33, American
Geophysics Union, Washington D.C.
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PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINKS IN THE TABLE BELOW TO ACCESS THE DATA
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| Year |
Location |
Coordinates |
Drill Type |
diameter (cm) |
Depth (m) |
| 1971 |
Dye 3 |
65 deg. 11 min. N, 43 deg. 49 min. W |
Thermal (US) |
10.2 |
372 |
| 1972 |
North Site |
75 deg. 46 min. N, 42 deg. 27 min. W |
SIPRE (US) |
7.6 |
15 |
| |
Crete |
71 deg. 07 min. N, 37 deg. 19 min. W |
SIPRE (US) |
7.6 |
15 |
| 1973 |
Milcent |
70 deg. 18 min. N, 45 deg. 35 min. W |
Thermal (US) |
12.4 |
398 |
| |
Dye 2 |
66 deg. 23 min. N, 46 deg. 11 min. W |
Shallow (Swiss) |
7.6 |
50 |
| 1974 |
Crete |
71 deg. 07 min. N, 37 deg. 19 min. W |
Thermal (US) |
12.4 |
405 |
| |
Dye 2 |
66 deg. 23 min. N, 46 deg. 11 min. W |
Shallow (US) |
10.2 |
101 |
| |
Summit |
71 deg. 17 min. N, 37 deg. 56 min. W |
Shallow (Swiss) |
7.6 |
31 |
| 1975 |
Dye 3 |
65 deg. 11 min. N, 43 deg. 49 min. W |
Shallow (Swiss) |
7.6 |
95 |
| |
South Dome |
63 deg. 33 min. N, 44 deg. 36 min. W |
Shallow (Swiss) |
7.6 |
80 |
| |
H. Tausen |
82 deg. 30 min. N, 38 deg. 20 min. W |
Shallow (Swiss) |
7.6 |
60 |
| 1976 |
Dye 3 |
65 deg. 11 min. N, 43 deg. 49 min. W |
Wireline (US) |
10.2 |
93 |
| |
H. Tausen |
82 deg. 30 min. N, 38 deg. 20 min. W |
Shallow (Dane) |
7.6 |
50 |
| 1977 |
Cp. Century |
77 deg. 10 min. N, 61 deg. 08 min. W |
Shallow (Dane) |
7.6 |
100 |
| |
Dye 2 |
66 deg. 23 min. N, 46 deg. 11 min. W |
Shallow (US) |
7.6 |
84 |
| |
N. Central |
74 deg. 37 min. N, 39 deg. 36 min. W |
Shallow (Dane) |
7.6 |
100 |
| |
Camp III |
69 deg. 43 min. N, 50 deg. 08 min. W |
Shallow (Swiss) |
7.6 |
49 |
| 1978 |
Dye 3 |
65 deg. 11 min. N, 43 deg. 49 min. W |
Shallow (US) |
10.2 |
90 |
| |
Camp III |
69 deg. 43 min. N, 50 deg. 08 min. W |
Shallow (Swiss) |
7.6 |
80 |
| 1979 |
Dye 3 |
65 deg. 11 min. N, 43 deg. 49 min. W |
Thermal (US) |
access hole |
80 |
| |
Dye 3 |
65 deg. 11 min. N, 43 deg. 49 min. W |
Elec.mech. (Dane) |
10.2 |
80-225 |
| 1980 |
Dye 3 |
65 deg. 11 min. N, 43 deg. 49 min. W |
Elec.mech. (Dane) |
10.2 |
225-901 |
| 1981 |
Dye 3 |
65 deg. 11 min. N, 43 deg. 49 min. W |
Elec.mech. (Dane) |
10.2 |
901-2037 |