The melting ice contributes to the release of buried in the ice of the military base Camp Century.
According to the calculations of scientists from York University (Canada), global warming will result in the release of nuclear waste buried the United states in the Greenland glacier.
in the article researchers published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, says that in 1959 the US government tried to implement a secret project in Greenland called “Ice worm”. Under the layer of ice (at a depth of approximately 35 meters) base “Century” was built. It was planned to hold a tunnel system in Greenland ice sheet and place in it a few hundred nuclear missiles aimed at the Soviet Union.
But the project was soon shelved, and in every sense of the word. Experts have concluded that the Greenland ice sheet – is not static, but moves slowly. The base was taken out of operation, but its infrastructure and waste left by the 35-meter thick ice.
conserved natural way were radioactive and chemical substances. Among them – 200 thousand liters of diesel fuel and 240 thousand liters of waste water. In these waters, in theory, can contain radioactive coolant from a nuclear generator, which supplied energy “Century”. According to scientists, these wastes pose a serious threat to the environment
The study, published today in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, brings calculations:. To 2090 the increase of ice and snow will give way to thaw, and in the next century from under snow seem abandoned at a construction site waste – household waste, diesel, persistent organic pollutants and radioactive waste «Alco PM-2A» mobile nuclear reactor, which was used builders
Canadian glaciologist Liam Colgan, lead author of the study proceeded. on the assumption that by 2100 average temperatures will rise by 5 ° C compared to pre-industrial levels. A settlement system predicts that the construction “Aysvorm” project will start to thaw in 2090; the second method used gives a more distant date – but that does not negate the fact that sooner or later, the ice begins to melt
According to climatologists estimated that after passing this point will take another 100 years to melt 60 meters of snow and ice. which by 2090 will hide the former “Ice worm”. But the first streams will flush out hazardous substances much earlier
The greatest danger is posed by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) -. Persistent organic pollutants, are widely used in the art in the 60s and 70s. How many of them on the spot, is not known. During the construction of the military base used products containing up to 5% of PCBs.
The radioactive materials left at the base, was not so much (at least less than the fall brought close to the B-52 bomber B- 52 in 1968. Then the US government, and Denmark joined forces to clean the water from pollution, which was a success. However, in the case of the base of responsibility is not distributed. The Danish government and the Greenland administration has long had a claim to the united States, who used the island for military purposes during the cold war. The problem with the camp “Century” can become not only ecological but also political, if the parties fail to reach a compromise.
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