The Danish Arctic Station at Godhavn 



By W. I-: L M K K K K H L A W 



Kcsciiii li I'cllow in (Joolo^.v, University of Jllinois. ;in(l Botiinisl on the 

 Crocker LmikI Kxpedition. l<ti:i l!ll(i 



TO'IMII"' ))('i-s('\('r;ii)c(' ;iii(l iiidus- 

 t vy of iMic mail, "a man with a 

 vi>ii)ii."" |)ciiiiiark owi^s ouv of 

 licr most important colonial institu- 

 tions, the Danish Arctic Station at CJod- 

 havn. Unique among scientific labora- 

 tories in its far Arctic situation and in 

 ihc characti'r of its work, it exemplifies 

 what can he done by a man with a firm 

 conviction and inllexihle determiiiat ion. 

 To ^rortcii P. Porsild, director of the 

 station, who never once wavered from 

 his resolute purpose of estal)lishing 

 upon a firm and permanent basis the 

 scientific survey of Greenland — Den- 

 mark's Arctic colony — lielongs the credit 

 for making possible much of the research 

 that is yielding such valuable results in 

 the problems of Arctic biology, geology, 

 meteorology, and in the study of the 

 Eskimo. Once he had conceived the 

 plan of establishing the station, he did 

 not rest until it was fulfilled. 



The Danish Arctic Station was estab- 

 lished as a base from which to prose- 

 cute the geographical and geological 

 survey of Greenland, the investigation 

 of its plant and animal life, the study 

 of the various physical and chemical 

 ]ihenomena peculiar to the Far ^Torth, 

 and to train young scientists interested 

 in Arctic exploration and research in 

 the technique of northern travel and in- 

 vestigation. It was to serve also as a 

 station to which scientists of lands 

 other than Denmark might come for 

 opportunity to work out special prob- 

 lems presented by the N"orth. In all 

 these aims the station has been unusu- 

 ally successful. 



The funds necessary for the estab- 

 lishment of the station were furnished 

 Herr Porsild by private subscription, 

 but after the work had once demon- 

 strated its value, the Danish (Jovcrn- 

 ment took charge and now appropriates 



1(1,(1(1(1 crowns a year, not (piite $3000, 

 for the mainlcnancc ami activities of 

 the station. This a|t|)ro|)riat ion in- 

 chidcs not only Jlerr PorsihTs salary, 

 hut all the expenses of e(pii])])ing and 

 conducting the station, a sum that 

 sex^ms all too small for the many activi- 

 ties in which the director so success- 

 fully engages. The station was estab- 

 lished in 1905 at Godhavn, on the south 

 coast of Disco Island. ITerr Porsild 

 on an earlier journey to Greenland had 

 dccidi'd upon Disco Fjord as the best 

 locality in which to build the station, 

 l)ut when the time came for its con- 

 struction, circumstances determined 

 that Godhavn, farther to the east, in 

 latitude 69° 14' should be selected. 



Godhavn, the capital of the province 

 of North Greenland, is really an excel- 

 lent place for the station, perhaps the 

 best on the . whole coast. The middle 

 portion of the west coast of Greenland 

 becomes almost ice-free early in April 

 and remains so until late in November. 

 Thus Disco Island is usually accessible 

 to ships throughovTt this period. This 

 fact in itself makes Godhavn a desir- 

 able place, but the presence of open 

 water for so long a time each year, and 

 its proximity throughout the whole 

 year, also have a direct influence upon 

 the climate; even in midwinter the 

 weather is not so severe as along the 

 coast farther to the south or north. 



In addition to these fundamental ad- 

 vantages, Godhavn possesses for the 

 biologist unique superiority of posi- 

 tion in lying beside the "hot springs" 

 for which Disco has long been known. 

 '^I'hese springs are neither large nor ex- 

 tensive, nor so warm that they modify 

 the general temperature of the part of 

 the island where they issue, but their 

 relatively waim waters, four to five de- 

 grees above zero, even in midwinter 



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