Royal visit to the NEEM camp

Though the royal visit was short there was time for a group photo in the Dome.

Saturday, July 9, 2011, the NEEM camp on the North-Western part of the Greenlandic Ice sheet was honoured with a visit from Her majesty and His Royal Highness from Denmark, Kuupik Kleist,  head of the Greenlandic homerule, and Rigsombudsmand Mikaela Engell.

Prof. Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, field leader at NEEM, welcomes the royalty, who arrived in a Twin Otter from Pituffik (Thule Air Base).

The royal visitors to the NEEM camp were meant to stay overnight but bad weather changed the plans and reduced the visit to a 2 hours stay, as the weather conditions made it difficult for the Twin Otter to land and take off on the Ice sheet.

Despite the short visit it was very successful and everyone in the NEEM camp was very honoured by the visit, during which they had time to show the guest where and how an ice core is drilled.

During the royal visit to the NEEM camp among others the royal couple was shown the science trenche where the deep drilling - down to 2538m - takes place.

Steffen Bo Hansen, drill mechanic at NEEM, shows the deep ice core drill to the royal couple.

Previous royal visit to the NEEM camp
The NEEM ice core drilling site has been honoured by royal visit before. In May 2009 H.R.H Crown prince Haakon of Norway, H.R.H. Crown princess Victoria of Sweden and H.R.H. Crown prince Frederik of Denmark visited the NEEM camp as protectors of the International Polar Year (IPY) 2007 – 08.

During the visit from the three Nordic successors to the throne the weather conditions were better and made it possible for the guests to stay overnight and thus get a close idea of the daily life at the isolated drill site in the middle of nowhere.