GeoBasis Programme
GeoBasis is the the physical and geomorphological monitoring programme within the integrated ecosystem monitoring programmes Zackenberg Basic and Nuuk Basic, coordinated by Greenland Ecosystem Monitoring (GEM).
The GeoBasis monitoring programmes are currently running at two monitoring stations: in the high arctic Northeast Greenland at Zackenberg and in the low arctic West Greenland in Kobbefjord near Nuuk.
The objective of GeoBasis is to provide long term data of terrestrial and hydrological variables describing the dynamics of the physical environment in low and high Arctic. Collected data are used to improve current model predictions for future changes in the arctic terrestrial ecosystems and to quantify the feedback mechanisms from the Arctic ecosystem to the climate.
The GeoBasis programme is divided into several sub-programmes: Snow and permafrostmonitoring includes measurements for modelling of snow cover and vegetation, micrometeorological measurements, active layer depth, etc. Carbon flux monitoring includes measurements of CO2- and CH4-flux between the tundra and the atmosphere using eddy-covariance techniques and automated chambers. Soil water moisture and chemistry monitoring includes sampling of soil water from characteristic vegetation types to monitor transport and availability of nutrients. Hydrology and sediment transport monitoring includes measurements of river discharge andsediment, solute and organic matter yield. Geomorphologicalmonitoring includes measurements ofthe dynamics of selected coastal and periglacial landscape elements.
The main monitoring period is depending on site from end of April/May when the snow cover starts to melt until beginning of September/October when the temperatures fall below freezing again. However, many automated systems ensure a year-round monitoring of snow cover, meteorology and hydrology.
GeoBasis Zackenberg in Northeast Greenland was initiated in 1995 while GeoBasis Nuuk in the low arctic West Greenland was initiated in 2007. The programmes are financed by the Ministry for Climate and Energy.