TOP LEFT
Research assistant Nora
Fried uses a handheld
IceCube, an instrument
that measures the
specific surface area
of snow particles on
the sea ice. The struc-
ture of snow is critical
to how much light it
absorbs or reflects,
and therefore how it
contributes to atmo-
spheric warming.
TOP RIGHT
A temporary tent
provides shelter for
researchers work-
ing on a meteorolog-
ical experiment that
required 24-hour mon-
itoring. Because polar
bears are a constant
concern outside of the
station boundaries,
the camp always has
a Greenland dog to
keep watch.
BOTTOM LEFT
Preparing for guests
can be a lot of work
for the six soldiers
who run Station Nord.
Snowdrifts sometimes
threaten to bury
entire buildings.
BOTTOM RIGHT
Hansen helps
researcher Helge
Goessling (right) brush
up on his rifle skills.
No one is permitted
to leave the station
perimeter without a
firearm for protection
against polar bears.
112 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC