AFP通信さんのインスタグラム写真 - (AFP通信Instagram)「Scientists voyage to Greenland's melting sanctuary⁣ ⁣ After the warmest July ever recorded at Summit Camp atop Greenland's ice sheet, the expedition members sailing the Greenland's Scoresby Fjord are acutely aware of the urgency.⁣ ⁣ In addition to the icebergs -- which in some areas blanket over half of the fjord -- the scientists also need an armed escort to protect against polar bears.⁣ ⁣ But for the researchers, facing the harsh environment is a risk worth taking for rare access into one of the world's most isolated ecosystems.⁣ ⁣ The expedition, arranged by the volunteer-run French initiative Greenlandia, aims to understand climate change's effects on Scoresby Fjord and its inhabitants.⁣ ⁣ Frozen in ice for eleven months of the year, the planet's largest fjord system, which remains vastly understudied, is a challenge to manoeuvre even for a seasoned crew.⁣ ⁣ The danger of the boat getting crushed between the mammoth blocks of ice is tangible, and the sound of the frozen giants banging against the ship's hull ensures an uneasy slumber.⁣ ⁣ The only human settlement within a 500-kilometre (310-mile) radius is the Greenlandic town of Ittoqqortoormiit near the mouth of the fjord, with its 300 or so inhabitants.⁣ ⁣ The scientists are working against the clock, well aware the fjord will freeze over again by mid-September.⁣ ⁣ For the team, filling the knowledge gap in the research of this remote region before it changes is essential to guide policy in the future.⁣ ⁣ 📷 @olivier.morin #AFP」9月13日 20時01分