Project

Greenland in Flux, Past and Present

The world's largest island, Greenland, holds the equivalent of 20 feet of global sea level rise in its massive ice sheet, which is disappearing at an unprecedented rate. Meanwhile, on its green edges, the island is changing fast, with new land opening up for mining and new vegetation and agriculture opportunities.

Journalist Eli Kintisch's project focuses on the surface of the ice sheet, which is melting faster than scientists have predicted. A new clue is that meltwater pools are hosting microbes which are darkening the surface of the ice, making the ice sheet melt faster still.

The project also reexamines how climate change has impacted the history of human settlement on the massive island. Fresh archeological finds are shedding new light on why the Norse died off in two settlements in the southern region of the island, a failure that previous historians have blamed on a cooling climate in the 15th century.

Growing Greenland's Archeologists

Greenland has hundreds of archeological sites that have never been excavated, but a shortage of homegrown archeologists to explore their homeland. A few young upstarts want to change that.

This Week: Can Trump Kill the Climate Agreement?

This week: did economic change contribute to the disappearance of Norse settlements? Discussion of Trump's involvement in the climate agreement, and how refugees cross Europe using their smartphones.