summer there’s so much dust from blowing
winds, it coats your teeth.
Station Nord also has a political purpose,
which is why it’s run by soldiers. Denmark has
an internationally recognized sovereignty claim
over this region but must demonstrate its pres-
ence here in order to uphold it. For the six spe-
cialists who live here—all soldiers in the Danish
military, almost always men—Station Nord is
home for a 26-month posting.
The station, which began primarily as a
weather center in 1952, is essentially a small
village with its own airport. There are more
than 25 buildings, including bunkhouses,
workshops, a generator shed, a kitchen, and a
community center. Single-purpose structureswhatever happens here affects the whole world:
The Arctic is part of a global cooling system,
and as rising temperatures accelerate the loss
of sea ice, that system is breaking down. This
is a perfect place for visiting researchers from
around the world to gather data from the ice,
sea, and atmosphere to measure changes over
time—data that scientists hope will help them
predict what’s in store for the planet.
There aren’t many places where you can
wake up in a bunkhouse, have coffee, and then
step into one of the planet’s most extreme
environments: Whiteouts, extreme cold, fog,
and months of winter darkness are par for the
course. During spring the temperature can dip
below minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit, and by
EYES ON THE ICE 107