Spoiler alert: It wasn't aliens.
In an extraordinary discovery during an April 2024 Arctic survey, NASA scientists uncovered a relic from the Cold War buried beneath Greenland’s ice. Using advanced radar technology mounted on a Gulfstream III aircraft, researchers stumbled upon the remnants of Camp Century, a former U.S. military base encased under layers of snow and ice for nearly six decades.
Camp Century’s Cold War Origins
Hidden approximately 150 miles inland, Camp Century was constructed between 1959 and 1967 as part of an ambitious U.S. Army project. Its vast network of tunnels, carved into the surface layers of Greenland’s ice sheet, served as a testing ground for launching nuclear missiles from the Arctic. Over time, this remote outpost was abandoned, leaving its secrets entombed beneath the ever-accumulating ice and snow.
Today, Camp Century rests beneath 100 feet of compacted snow and ice, a stark reminder of its once strategic purpose. The site remained hidden from view until the latest radar data revealed its buried structures.
NASA’s UAVSAR Brings Hidden History to Light
The breakthrough came when NASA’s Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR), installed on the Gulfstream III’s belly, began scanning the icy terrain. Initially focused on studying the effects of climate change on the Arctic, the radar unexpectedly revealed distinct shapes and structures far below the surface.
“We were looking for the bed of the ice, and out pops Camp Century,” explained Alex Gardner, a cryospheric scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “We didn’t know what it was at first.”
The high-resolution radar data allowed the team to map individual structures within the camp with unprecedented clarity, shedding light on a hidden chapter of Arctic exploration and military ambition.
Climate Change Brings New Risks to Camp Century
While the rediscovery of Camp Century is a significant historical find, it also raises urgent environmental concerns. Accelerated ice sheet melting, driven by climate change, could expose the abandoned site and its hazardous remnants, including radioactive waste and chemical pollutants.
“Experts predict that Camp Century could resurface by the end of the century if current melting trends continue,” said NASA scientist Chad Greene, who was part of the survey team. “The environmental consequences of this exposure are a serious concern.”
Advancing Research on Climate Change and Rising Seas
The primary mission of the Arctic survey was to better understand the dynamics of ice sheet melting and its impact on global sea levels. By using UAVSAR to map the internal layers of the ice sheet and its bed interface, scientists aim to improve projections of future sea-level rise.
“Without detailed knowledge of ice thickness, it is impossible to predict how ice sheets will respond to rapidly warming oceans and atmosphere,” Greene added. “This greatly limits our ability to project the rate of sea-level rise.”
The unexpected discovery of Camp Century has now provided researchers with an additional layer of data to consider as they work to unravel the complex interactions between climate change and the polar environment.
