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There's a time bomb in Greenland — and it's ticking faster with each passing day. The consequences? Not a mighty explosion, but contamination from what lurks just beneath the surface.
What's happening?
During the Cold War, the United States constructed a top-secret military installation called Camp Century beneath the northwestern Greenland ice sheet. Though decommissioned in 1967, the facility was never fully cleaned up. At the time, the military assumed the structure would remain entombed in ice indefinitely.
But the planet had other plans.
As temperatures rise and the ice sheet thins, Camp Century's legacy is starting to resurface — and it's not pretty. In a study published in Geophysical Research Letters, researchers estimate the camp contains over 240,000 liters of sewage and wastewater, 200,000 liters of diesel fuel, and an unknown amount of radioactive coolant from its nuclear-powered operations.
"It was reasonable to expect it to snow forever," William Colgan, a climate glacier scientist at Toronto's York University, told Trench Art. "We have to say, these aren't tombs for eternity."
Why is this decommissioned camp important?
If those hazardous materials leach into surrounding ecosystems, they could contaminate Arctic waters and food chains — and eventually make their way into broader ocean currents. That would be bad news for human health, biodiversity, and global fisheries.
The Arctic does a lot more than just stay cold — it helps balance the planet's weather and ocean systems. However, as the ice disappears, that balance begins to shift. Coastal communities are experiencing higher tides during major storms, which also has an impact on food systems.
Extreme weather events have always occurred, but scientific consensus is that human-driven pollution is supercharging them — making storms more destructive and their aftermath more dangerous for people everywhere.
This nuclear relic is uniquely alarming, but it's not the only problem surfacing with the thaw. As melting permafrost in Siberia threatens to release ancient diseases, scientists are also raising red flags about rapid ice loss from Greenland's Petermann Glacier, which could trigger a dramatic increase in sea level and exacerbate the severity of coastal flooding during extreme storms.
What's being done to stop this Arctic threat from spreading?
For now, Camp Century remains under Denmark's jurisdiction. Scientists are monitoring the area, but cleanup efforts face steep logistical and political hurdles. The good news is that awareness is growing — and that's the first step to action.
In the meantime, everyday people can help by exploring critical climate issues and supporting policies that reduce planet-warming pollution and bolster disaster preparedness. Simple steps like upgrading to energy-efficient appliances and reducing food waste can make a difference.
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