Greenland Government

In South Greenland, public concerns have linked "black livers" in sheep to presumed environmental pollution from the Kvanefjeld mining exploration project. Elevated concentrations of metals and radionuclides in the area reflect natural geochemistry and weathering processes, not pollution from exploration activities. However, in response, we conducted a preliminary case-control study to diagnose the condition, investigate links between liver discoloration and environmental concentrations of metals and radionuclides, and to estimate the annual effective dose to the public from polonium-210 (210Po) ingestion via sheep and lamb liver consumption. We also evaluated the prevalence of acquired melanosis, grazing and herd effects, and their association with carcass quality and disease markers. Histological analysis confirmed acquired melanosis in affected liver samples. No statistically significant differences in concentrations of chemical elements or radionuclides (including 210Po and 210Pb) were found between case and control groups, across age groups, grazing areas, or farms. Except for the most exposed children (10% percentile), the estimated annual effective dose to adults and children from 210Po ingestion in black and healthy livers remained below the world average of 120 µSv due to the ingestion of naturally occurring radionuclides. The overall prevalence of ovine acquired melanosis based on a large sample size was 10.59%, with herd prevalence ranging from 0% to 51.79%. Age-specific prevalence was 10.38% in lambs and 13.40% in adult sheep. Acquired melanosis was negatively correlated with fat and muscle content in carcasses. The consumption of sheep livers from South Greenland does not appear to pose a toxicological or radiological risk.

ABSTRACTSills are fundamental elements of volcanic plumbing systems emplaced in sedimentary basins. Even though sills are commonly considered simple, planar concordant igneous sheets, they are actually complex 3‐dimensional objects. Detailed knowledge of the 3D structure of sills and their host rocks is of primary relevance to better constrain the emplacement mechanisms and the impacts of sills on sedimentary basins. This study describes the results of 3‐dimensional geological mapping of a large (~14 × 9 km), well‐exposed Early Cretaceous dolerite sill in Central Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Arctic Norway, using a combination of digital outcrop modelling and field mapping. The sill was emplaced within Upper Palaeozoic sedimentary formations of Svalbard. It is made of distinct segments emplaced at different stratigraphic levels of the host rock stratigraphy. The mapping shows a clear stratigraphic control on the intrusion morphology. Sill segments emplaced at the boundary between two formations, which mark a strong lithological and rheological boundary, are straight and concordant. Conversely, segments emplaced within a more homogeneous formation exhibit more irregular, locally discordant shapes. The sill segments emplaced at distinct stratigraphic levels are connected by steeply dipping steps, which formed through dilatant shearing between the tips of the sill segments. The preferred NW‐SE orientation of the steps and the thinning of the sill towards the SE suggests a propagation direction of the magma towards the SE. Our study shows how 3‐dimensional knowledge of igneous intrusions is key for revealing their emplacement mechanisms.

In the context of globalization intensification, enterprises face the challenge of managing increasingly complex business operations. This study aims to investigate how the financial shared services model, characterized by centralized processing and standardized operations, impacts the quality of corporate accounting information. By examining literature and conducting empirical data analysis, we explore how the model enhances the efficiency and accuracy of accounting information processing, strengthens enterprises’ internal controls through increasing financial information transparency, and bolsters financial monitoring. Furthermore, we analyze how this model positively impacts decision support, aiding enterprises in making superior economic decisions. Despite the challenges in system compatibility and employee training during implementation, this study underscores the immense potential of the shared services model in optimizing accounting information systems, reinforcing internal controls, and improving decision support. The profound impact of this model on the quality of corporate accounting information underscores its value and the importance of its further research and application.

Characterizing the extent of genetic differentiation among individuals and its distribution across the genome is increasingly important to inform both conservation and management of exploited species. The Greenland Halibut is one of the main demersal fish species to be commercially exploited in Eastern Canada, and accurate information on geographic population structure and local adaptation is required to ensure the long-term presence of this species. We generated high-quality whole-genome sequencing data for 1,297 Greenland Halibut sampled across 32 locations throughout the Northwest Atlantic (from Arctic Canadian and Greenlandic coasts to the Gulf of St Lawrence). Population genetic structure was analyzed, revealing an absence of population differentiation between Canada and west Greenland but significant genetic differentiation between the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the remainder of the Northwest Atlantic. Except for Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Greenland Halibut thus appear to be panmictic throughout the Northwest Atlantic. Environmental Association Analyses revealed that the environment explained up to 51 % might be replaced by 51% of the differentiation observed between the two stocks, with both ocean-bottom and surface variables (e.g., temperature and oxygen) involved in the observed genomic differentiation. Altogether, these results indicate that phenotypic differences previously observed between the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the Northwest Atlantic likely resulted from functional adaptive divergence to their respective environmental conditions. Using coalescent simulations, we also assessed how high levels of migration between the two stocks would allow Greenland Halibut to potentially escape unfavorable environmental conditions in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. In addition to supporting the management of this important exploited species, this work highlights the utility of using comprehensive genomic datasets to characterize the effects of climate change across a wider range of species.

Achieving a sustainable global food chain is becoming particularly acute as modern Western diets are adopted in a growing number of countries and cultures around the world. Understanding the consequences that this shift has on health and sustainability is important. This exploratory study is the first to apply the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology to analyze the sustainability implication of ongoing dietary shifts in Greenland, where locally hunted seal meat is increasingly being replaced by imported livestock products, primarily pig and poultry produced in Denmark. This dietary shift, indirectly driven by international trade bans such as the EU seal product ban, has sustainability implications. To inform and support more comprehensive analyses and policy discussions, this paper explores the sustainability of these parallel Greenlandic food supply chains. A quantitative comparison of the greenhouse gas emissions of Greenlandic hunted seal and Danish pig and poultry is complemented by a qualitative discussion of nutrition, cultural food preferences, animal welfare, and the use of land, pesticides and antibiotics. Although the variability in the life cycle inventory data collected from Greenlandic hunters was considerable, greenhouse gas emissions of seal meat were consistently lower than those of imported livestock products. Emissions of the latter are dominated by biogenic emissions from feed production and manure management, while these are absent for seal meat, whose emissions instead are dominated by fossil fuel use. The implications of these results for sustainable national food policies in a modern global context as well as important areas for additional research are discussed.

Small conifer plantations have been established in the Tasermiut, Igaliko and Tunulliarfik fjord regions of South Greenland. In August 2019 spruce trees in an extensive area in a plantation in Kuusuaq (Tasermiut) showed symptoms resembling those of spruce needle rust. The plantation (60° 16‘ N, 44° 43‘ W) was established from 1960 onwards and covers an area of 5.5 ha with mainly Picea glauca, Picea × lutzii, Pinus contorta and Larix sibirica partly mixed, partly planted in blocks/rows. The infection was observed primarily on Picea × lutzii (progeny from a hybrid swarm on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska). Symptoms included yellowing of the current year's needles, entire branch systems turning yellow to whitish, and needles being covered by aecia with white papery fracturing peridia (Fig. 1). Minor infection was observed on P. glauca with scattered shoots showing symptoms. The most prominent attacks were observed where P. × lutzii was planted in blocks, and in particular where the alternate host Rhododendron groenlandicum (bog Labrador tea) was growing in dense stands amongst the trees. Here, almost all P. lutzii (an area of 1 ha in total) were showing symptoms, even to the tops of the trees (Fig. 2). The pathogen responsible was identified as Chrysomyxa ledicola based on morphological characteristics of the aeciospores: bright orange, globoid, 22-30 μm wide, up to 50 μm long, with a thick hyaline and heavily sculptured wall. The identification was confirmed by ITS rDNA sequence analysis performed by CABI (Surrey, UK). A sample of the collected material was deposited in herbarium C at the University of Copenhagen. To our knowledge, this is the first record of C. ledicola attacking Picea in Greenland. The fungus has, however, previously been observed on R. groenlandicum in Greenland (pers. obs., 1976) in the abscence of Picea spp. Furthermore, this is the first report of this pathogen infecting P. × lutzii. The record is remarkable because of the extent of the observed attack. Widespread infections of Picea spp. are known from Canada and Alaska (Yukon Forest Health, 4; Mulvey, 2). In North America, infection rarely causes mortality but repeated infections may impair growth. It should be noticed that heavy infections of Picea in North America generally do not occur at a distance of more than 300 m from bog Labrador tea (Hennon, 1). In South Greenland, P. × lutzii is considered one of the best adapted conifers, growing vigorously in several plantations, and hence one of the most promising types for forest plantations in Greenland (Normand et al., 3). Therefore, the present record of spruce needle rust should be considered when planning future forest plantations in South Greenland. The authors are grateful to The Agricultural Consulting Services of Greenland for technical support, and Den Grønlandske Fond for financial support.

The West Greenland continental margin has been the subject of petroleum exploration by companies and research projects since the 1970s and many data have been acquired since. Licensing rounds issued by the Greenland authorities in 2002 and 2004 offshore southern West Greenland resulted in company licenses which led to data acquisition and three exploration wells. The extensive new data form a basis for updated mapping by means of data, new analyses of the subsurface geology and improved understanding of the stratigraphy and the geological development. The Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) has recently completed a comprehensive mapping project of the subsurface in an area covering 116 000 km2 offshore southern West Greenland (Fig. 1). The results include maps displaying large structural highs and faults, Cretaceous sedimentary basins and volcanic areas, illustrated by cross-sections through the area. A new seismic stratigraphy with eight mega-units from the seabed to the basement was also defined. In addition, studies from wells of biostratigraphy and petrology were carried out that provide important new information. The new data include extensive 2D seismic data and eight wells including the three exploration wells AT2-1, AT7-1 and LF7-1 drilled in 2011 by Cairn Energy (Fig. 1). Key results of the work are summarised below.

The geological map coverage of Greenland at scale 1:500 000 is nearing completion, with the Kane Basin sheet of north-western Greenland the last to be compiled (sheet 6 between 78°–81°N; Fig. 1). Sporadic work by the Survey since the 1970s identified the main geological provinces and structure of the region but the lithologies of the Precambrian shield were not sufficiently mapped inland to warrant final compilation. Project Kane Basin 1999 was designed to provide this knowledge; the optimal use of logistics enabled a range of geological activities to be undertaken, as well as other scientific disciplines.