Greenland

Learn more about the world's largest island.

Posted on January 23, 2026 in Hot Topic

Bradford, William. The Arctic regions: illustrated with photographs taken on an art expedition to Greenland, ed. by Michael Lapides. New Bedford Whaling Museum/D.R. Godine, 2013. 167p ISBN 9781567924510, $49.95.
Reviewed in CHOICE December 2013

In 1869, American artist William Bradford mounted the most ambitious of his seven Arctic expeditions and enlisted the services of professional photographers John Dunmore and George Critcherson to document the voyage. Bradford then worked from those photographs and his own sketches to create the paintings he executed throughout the remainder of his lifetime. The trip, widely reported and discussed in magazines ranging from the Philadelphia Photographer to The New York Times in the US, and the Art Journal to the Illustrated London News abroad, created widespread public interest. Hoping to expand his career to an international level, in 1872 Bradford brought his work to London, where he sold a painting to Queen Victoria; and published The Arctic Regions in 1873. The limited edition, with Bradford’s narrative and the views of magnificent landscapes and native peoples of the region, was folio sized, elegantly designed, and lavishly illustrated with over 100 photogravures and 25 tipped-in albumen prints. It is now considered a landmark in the history of the photographically illustrated book. This new edition, altered in format and size, is illustrated with photogravure reproductions, and has additional introductions and historical essays to provide context for the work. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. —W. S. Johnson, George Fox University

The Fate of Greenland: lessons from abrupt climate change, by Philip Conkling et al.; photographs by Gary Comer. MIT, 2011. 216p ISBN 9780262015646, $29.95.
Reviewed in CHOICE October 2011

This book discusses the causes and consequences of climate change and ice ages; it is well, if not superbly, illustrated by color photographs, many by the late Gary Comer, founder of the Lands’ End clothing company. Comer established a large fund to investigate “abrupt climate change,” and Conkling (founder and president, Island Institute), Richard Alley (Penn State), Wallace Broecker (Columbia), and George Denton (Univ. of Maine) were involved with the running of this fund and investigations of glacial history and climate change as it affected Greenland. The book consists of an introduction, eight chapters, a modest bibliography, and a six-page index. The text is largely built on various hypotheses and data for abrupt climate change that have been propounded by Alley, Denton, Broecker, and their associates over the course of their careers. For example, Broecker and Denton discussed the topics covered in chapter 4, “The Great Ocean Conveyor,” and chapter 5, “A Wobbly North Atlantic Conveyor?” in the scientific literature, while chapter 2, “Rosetta Stones from the Greenland Ice Sheet,” builds on Alley’s seminal contributions. Overall this book will be of interest to an informed public and to university students and faculty. Summing Up: Recommended. All academic and general readers. —J. T. Andrews, University of Colorado at Boulder

The Right to national self-determination: the Faroe Islands and Greenland, ed. by Sjúrour Skaale. Martinus Nijhoff, 2005. 208p ISBN 900414207X pbk, $92.00.
Reviewed in CHOICE September 2005

Denmark has two northern dependencies: the Faroe Islands and the large landmass of Greenland. Together the three constitute the realm of Denmark, with 97 percent of the area outside Denmark proper. Intensely democratic Denmark wishes to present an enlightened attitude and be in compliance with UN decolonization and self-determination policies, but it is not keen on giving independence to the Faroes and Greenland. The Danish Parliament set up a working group to analyze the situation, and this book is the result. The nine well-qualified experts conducted research in the Danish National Archives and visited the UN to meet with officials, and have produced a thorough and impartial report. The authors cover the history, people, culture, and status of the Faroes and Greenland, and their relationships with the UN, the EU, and other international organizations. These two dependencies are also compared with Canada-Quebec; a discussion about many nonsovereign polities, such as Anguilla and Macao, is presented as well. The book has two annoying shortcomings. It is loaded with acronyms (some spelled out at first, others not) of dozens of international organizations, many of narrow scope. It also lacks an alphabetical list of acronyms and an index, although the “annexes” contain useful tables. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers and lower-division undergraduate through research collections. —C. W. Arnade, University of South Florida

Greenland in Arctic security: (de)securitization dynamics under climatic thaw and geopolitical freeze, ed. by Marc Jacobsen, Ulrik Pram Gad, and Ole Waever. Michigan, 2024. 382p bibl index ISBN 9780472076703, $85.00; ISBN 9780472056705 pbk, $44.95; ISBN 9780472904396 ebook, contact publisher for price.
Reviewed in CHOICE October 2024

This excellent book makes an important contribution to the literature on climate change, using Greenland as a case study. The authors draw on securitization theory to examine the complex dynamics of climatic thaw in the Arctic and the crucial role the melting of Greenland’s ice sheet plays in the current climate crisis. The potential sea level rise currently locked in the ice has far-reaching implications at the individual, local, national, and planetary levels. The unifying threads of this engaging book’s 11 chapters are the securitizing and de-securitizing games the governments of Denmark, Greenland, the US, China, and Russia play in the Arctic region. While the great powers and Denmark seek to securitize defense issues, Greenland’s vision of independence builds on efforts to de-securitize them, focusing on a self-sustaining economy as a path to independence from Denmark. The book examines the history of the United States’s securitizations of Greenland, Chinese mining projects, and Denmark’s response to Russian and Chinese Arctic militarization, perceived as a threat to Greenland’s “political security.” A useful addition to Buzan and Waever’s Regions and Powers: The Structure of International Security (2003). Summing Up: Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty; professionals. —M. E. Carranza, emeritus, Texas A&M University–Kingsville

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Rix, Robert. The vanished settlers of Greenland: in search of a legend and its legacy. Cambridge, 2023. 217p bibl index ISBN 9781009359474, $39.99; ISBN 9781009359481 ebook, contact publisher for price.
Reviewed in CHOICE February 2024

It is common knowledge that the medieval Norse, under the leadership of Erik the Red, established settlements on Greenland that lasted for several centuries before they died out because of the Little Ice Age in the 15th century. What is less well known are the theories and legends about the survival of the Norse settlers in various parts of Greenland and the Arctic, which persisted into the early 20th century. These theories were connected to erroneous notions that the Norse had a settlement on the inaccessible eastern coast of Greenland, that pockets of Greenland were actually comfortably habitable thanks to thermal heating, and that the North Pole was located in an open, ice-free sea. Rix (Univ. of Copenhagen, Denmark) tells the fascinating story of how the legends of lost Norse Greenlanders prompted scientific expeditions to find them and inspired the writing of numerous “lost race” adventure novels. He also shows how those activities were a part of the imperial aspirations of the Scandinavian nations, Great Britain, and the US. They also played in to racist notions of Teutonism and pure-blooded Nordics. This is a deeply researched, well-written study. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty; general readers. —R. Fritze, emeritus, Athens State University

McElwain, Jennifer C. Tropical Arctic: lost plants, future climates, and the discovery of ancient Greenland, by Jennifer C. McElwain, Marlene Hill Donnelly, and Ian J. Glasspool. Chicago, 2021. 144p bibl index ISBN 9780226534572, $30.00; ISBN 9780226534572 ebook, $29.99.
Reviewed in CHOICE June 2022

In this era of rapid environmental change and increasing mean global temperatures, scientists and the public are wont to speculate about what tomorrow may offer. Most think about sea level rise and changes in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events; few are likely to consider how the deep past may inform the nature and scale of Earth’s future landscapes. This text by botanist McElwain (Trinity College [Dublin] Botanic Garden), illustrator Donnelly (Field Museum), and paleobotanist Glasspool (independent scholar) is a fusion of art, natural history, and science that re-creates the lost forests of East Greenland from millions of years ago, when the planet was ice-free and uninhabitable for humans. Relying principally on insights from paleobotany, the authors contend that one key to understanding modern climate change impacts is found in the fossil record and reconstructed ancient ecosystems. Though present-day Greenland is home to the second largest ice sheet in the world and epitomizes the Arctic, its past included diverse, lush tropical vegetation. The authors weave together compelling field stories, historical anecdotes, and fossil analyses to construct a narrative of ecological transformation, mass extinction, and potential hope. Expertly illustrated, through its figures and images the book brings to life the beauty and wonder of an imaginary tropical Greenland. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. —R. A. Delgado Jr., National Science Foundation

Gertner, Jon. The ice at the end of the world: an epic journey into Greenland’s buried past and our perilous future. Random House, 2019. 418p bibl index ISBN 9780812996623, $28.00; ISBN 9780812996630 ebook, contact publisher for price.
Reviewed in CHOICE January 2020

Best-selling author Gertner (The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation, CH, Sep’12, 50-0251) here presents the gripping story of unlocking the climate secrets of the Greenland ice sheet, in two parts: Explorations (1888–1931), and Investigations (1949–2018). Early explorers crossed its vast expanse on sleds employing dog teams, to collect weather data and begin probing its icy depth to ascertain its dimensions, age, and movements. After the establishment of Thule Air Force Base, long ice cores were drilled, enabling collection of climate information dating back over 400,000 years. The ice cores provide a vast array of scientific data about past climate changes and reversals as well as industrial pollution. The Greenland ice sheet is the largest scientific laboratory of climate change, and today’s evidence of its rapid melting is a prelude to future drastic change. Gertner warns that the melting of existing ice sheets may lead to their collapse, causing a sea level rise of 20 feet by 2100, thus impacting coastal populations, economic systems, ocean currents, and weather patterns worldwide. His study reads like a wonderfully written mystery novel, yet it is based on extensive archival and oral history research. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. —J. B. Richardson III, emeritus, University of Pittsburgh

Exploring Greenland: Cold War science and technology on ice, ed. by Ronald E. Doel, Kristine C. Harper, and Matthias Heymann. Palgrave Macmillan, 2016. 311p bibl index afp ISBN 9781137596871, $109.00; ISBN 9781137596888 ebook, contact publisher for price.
Reviewed in CHOICE March 2017

The great advances of the geophysical sciences in the several decades following World War II occurred in part because of the strong influences of foreign policy and military needs. The inhabitants of Greenland were reluctant participants in the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the West, and, as a territory of Denmark, Greenland was pressured by Danish state officials to accept the huge US air base at Thule for bombers and fighter planes, along with missile silos carved out in the ice. In another area, a small city to house weather and earthquake monitoring equipment was chiseled out of the ice, with electricity provided by a nuclear reactor. Much was learned in detecting Earth movements, including those produced by nuclear events. The ethical, political, military, social, and economic issues are clearly discussed in this collection of essays by scholars from both Denmark and the US. Researchers will find enormous lists of references to satisfy their needs, some of which have just recently been declassified. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above; faculty and professionals. —F. Potter, University of California, Irvine

Sejersen, Frank. Rethinking Greenland and the Arctic in the era of climate change: new northern horizons. Routledge/Earthscan, 2015. 235p bibl index ISBN 9781138845152, $145.00.
Reviewed in CHOICE October 2015

The Arctic, long perceived as dangerous but promising, a marginal region swallowed at the top of the world map, is taking on a new relevance.  Long-time Arctic researcher Sejersen (Univ. of Copenhagen) has written a sturdy and thoughtful monograph, especially valuable because of the paucity of information about Greenland, which he puts into a wider Arctic context.  A shrinking icecap and melting sea ice far transcend local impact, thus stirring unease globally.  Climate change has brought new accessibility for natural resources, making possible large-scale mining of iron ore and the extraction of other minerals such as zinc, lead, uranium, and rare earth elements, as well as offshore oil and gas.  “Hyper industrialization,” as the author puts it.  As it moves to independence from Denmark, Greenland is unusual because its internal affairs are now in the hands of Indigenes able to direct and shape the local response to these rapid and dramatic changes affecting not only the natural environment, but also politics, economy, society, and culture, and requiring new thinking.  Sejersen’s central proposition emphasizes what people may become as a result of these massive changes.  Not for general readers but for specialists in environmental and Arctic studies. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students/faculty/professionals. —J. C. Perry, Tufts University

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