NASA scientists recently made a surprising discovery while conducting surveys of arctic ice sheets in Greenland. During a scientific flight in April 2024, researchers flying over the Greenland Ice Sheet uncovered the remains of an abandoned “city under the ice” built by the U.S. military during the Cold War.
The images captured by radar instruments aboard a NASA Gulfstream III aircraft revealed a new view of Camp Century, a Cold War-era U.S. military base composed of a series of tunnels carved directly into the ice sheet. This abandoned “secret city” was the site of a classified Cold War project known as Project Iceworm, which aimed to construct 2,500 miles of tunnels to house nuclear intermediate range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) targeting the Soviet Union.
Construction on Camp Century began in 1959, but the base was ultimately abandoned in 1967 due to the challenges of maintaining the tunnels in the ever-shifting ice sheet. The project was part of a larger strategy to use Northern Greenland as a launch site for its proximity to the Soviet Union and the remote location. The cancellation of Project Iceworm left behind buried weapons, sewage, fuel, and other contaminants at Camp Century, posing potential environmental risks as the Greenland Ice Sheet thaws due to climate change.
The discovery of Camp Century serves as a stark reminder of the lasting impacts of Cold War-era military projects in the region. Scientists are using this opportunity to study how our changing climate is affecting the Greenland ice sheet and to assess the potential threats posed by the buried contaminants. The U.S. government has acknowledged the risks posed by climate change and is working with Danish and Greenland authorities to address mutual security concerns related to Camp Century.
NASA plans to utilize the data collected during the survey to inform future studies of Earth’s large ice sheets and better understand how they will respond to rapidly warming oceans and atmosphere. The research conducted in Greenland highlights the importance of monitoring and studying the impacts of climate change on polar regions and the need for international cooperation to address environmental challenges.
The discovery of Camp Century provides valuable insights into the history of Cold War-era military projects and their environmental legacies. As scientists continue to study the Greenland ice sheet and its vulnerabilities to climate change, the lessons learned from Camp Century will play a crucial role in shaping future research and conservation efforts in the region.
