Nord, Greenland
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Nord Station Nord |
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| Military outpost | |
Station Nord in 1967
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 Nord
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| Coordinates: 81°43′00″N 17°47′57″W / 81.71667°N 17.79917°W |
Station Nord is a military and scientific station in northeastern Greenland 1700 km north of the Arctic Circle at 81°43'N, 17°47'W. ICAO: BGNO. It is about 924 km (574 mi) from the geographic North Pole, on Prinsesse Ingeborg Halvø (Princess Ingeborg Peninsula) in northern Kronprins Christian Land, making it the second northernmost permanent settlement and base of the Northeast Greenland National Park and of Greenland as a whole (two stations in Peary Land further north, Brønlundhus and Kap Harald Moltke, are not permanently occupied). The Danish Defense Command base is staffed by five Danish NCOs on a 26-month tour of duty; accommodation is also available for over twenty scientists and other personnel during the summer months. The station has about 35 buildings. It is not accessible by ship; ice conditions would permit a passage only every five to ten years. The name Nord simply means "north" in Danish. Winter darkness extends from 15 November to 28 January.
In June 1950, the U.S. Weather Bureau first developed plans for a joint weather station in Northeast Greenland to supplement the joint weather stations being built with Canada in the high Arctic. At that time, Thule was itself a joint Danish-American weather station. The next year, in conjunction with the construction of Thule Air Base, Norwegian-born USAF Colonel Bernt Balchen (who was the driving force in the American Arctic efforts) proposed a major air base in Northeast Greenland, useful for radar coverage, navigation aids, search-and-rescue, and recovery of heavy bombers returning from the USSR. Two 10,000 foot runways were contemplated. After consultations with Denmark, a weather station was operational at Nord by 1 May 1952, and a U.S.-built landing strip was available by July of that year. At that time, American interest was still focused on the possibility of a major airfield either near Nord or in Peary Land.
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