Green Fjord
© Blake Matthews

Greenlandic Fjord ecosystems in a changing climate: Socio-cultural and environmental interactions

About Us

Southern Greenlandic fjord systems are emblematic landscapes at the heart of the socio-economic and cultural environments of local communities.

Accelerated climate change impacts southern Greenland fjord ecosystems and livelihoods profoundly on land and in the ocean. Fjords are particularly vulnerable because they lie at the nexus between the cryosphere, ocean, land, atmosphere and biosphere.

Within GreenFjord, we will explore the socio-cultural and environmental interactions by focusing our research on two different fjord systems: a marine and a terrestrial terminating glacier. Our efforts are organized around six clusters: cryosphere, land, ocean, atmosphere, biodiversity and human.

Research Cluster

Our efforts are organized around these 6 clusters:
© Ethan Welty, www.weltyphotography.com
Lichen and Moss Covered Rock in Greenland
© Blake Matthews
© Ethan Welty, www.weltyphotography.com
© Ethan Welty, www.weltyphotography.com
greenland
© Blake Matthews
© Blake Matthews
© Ethan Welty, www.weltyphotography.com
© Ethan Welty, www.weltyphotography.com
lake
© Blake Matthews
sunset-in-greenland
© Blake Matthews
© Ethan Welty, www.weltyphotography.com
© Ethan Welty, www.weltyphotography.com
Sheep being hearded onto a boat in Greenland
© Blake Matthews
© Ethan Welty, www.weltyphotography.com
© Ethan Welty, www.weltyphotography.com
© Ethan Welty, www.weltyphotography.com
© Ethan Welty, www.weltyphotography.com
© Ethan Welty, www.weltyphotography.com
About Green Fjord

About Green Fjord

Accelerated climate change impacts southern Greenland fjord ecosystems and livelihoods profoundly as a result of atmospheric warming, changing vegetation and precipitation patterns, as well as enhanced glacier melt. Increased meltwater fluxes also affect marine ecosystem functioning and nutrient circulation, which in turn affect the marine food-web with cascading effects on biodiversity. 

About Green Fjord

News About Greenfjord

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Swiss Academy multimedia award goes to Aurélie and Rachel who reported about GreenFjord
18. November, 2024

Swiss Academy multimedia award goes to Aurélie and Rachel who reported about GreenFjord

Congratulations to Rachel Barbara Häubi and Aurélie Coulon who today received the multimedia award of the Swiss Academy for their reportage on Greenland including on the GreenFjord project! https://www.letemps.ch/sciences/environnement/le-prix-multimedia-des-academies-suisses-des-sciences-remis-a-un-long-format-du-temps-et-de-heidi-news-sur-le-groenland Thank you to…

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“Nattoralik”: A balloon on a quest to comprehend the mysteries of “Sila”
14. November, 2024

“Nattoralik”: A balloon on a quest to comprehend the mysteries of “Sila”

Green Fjord’s PIs Prof. Julia Schmale and Prof. Laine Chanteloup successfully secured a grant from the 2025 call for Collaborative Research on Science and Society (CROSS), a joint program of EPFL…

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From clouds to fjords, the Arctic bears witness to climate change
22. August, 2024

From clouds to fjords, the Arctic bears witness to climate change

A new article on the EPFL website describes the work of Prof Julia Schmale and Prof Jérôme Chappellaz within the framework of the GreenFjord programme. Read more here: https://actu.epfl.ch/news/from-clouds-to-fjords-the-arctic-bears-witness-t-2/ © GreenFjord,…

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