Glaciological investigations in connection with hydropower, South Greenland

Abstract

The glaciological investigations in South Greenland, started in the Johan Dahl Land area in 1977, were continued during the field season of 1981. Most of the work was concentrated on the Nordbogletscher, an outlet from the Inland Ice. Nordbogletscher terminates in the lake Nordbosø (660 m above sea level) which has been proposed as a reservoir for a hydroelectric project in the Nordbosø basin (GTO, 1980). The Nordbogletscher with an area of 208 km2 covers 68 per cent of the basin area (308 km2 ) and is the most important water source. Several small local glaciers with a total area of 5 km2 are also situated inside the basin. The total glacier cover of the Nordbosø basin thus amounts to 69 per cent. An understanding of the glacier dynamics and measurements of the mass balance are essential for the whole hydropower project. In addition to the work in Johan Dahl Land, mass balance measurements were carried out at Narssaq Bræ, a local glacier 10 km north-west of Narssaq town. Proposals for using the meltwater from the glacier for a local hydropower project have been made (GTO, 1980).