GREENLAND – On the second day of his three day fact-finding mission, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today surveyed the growing iceberg array off the western shore of Greenland. The increasing number of icebergs is the result of warming temperatures and presents a substantial risk to maritime commercial interests that utilize the waterway.

Senator King released the following video statement from aboard the Danish frigate HDMS Thetis:

***For additional pictures from the fact-finding mission, click HERE***

While onboard the HDMS Thetis, Senator King, along with the rest of the delegation including Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Paul F. Zukunft, received a briefing from the Director of the Danish Meteorological Institute about the dangerous impact that rising temperatures are having in the Arctic. Earlier in the day, they received a briefing from Dr. Robert Correll, a global climate scientist, and John Englander, an oceanographer and expert on the risks of rising sea levels, about the increasing importance of the Arctic.

Tomorrow, Senator King and the delegation will tour the Joint Arctic Command, which is run by the Danish government and is responsible for the surveillance and enforcement of sovereignty and military defense of Greenland and the Faroe Islands. It is also tasked with fishing vessels inspection, search and rescue operations, maritime pollution prevent, and hydrographic surveys. Senator King will receive a briefing from the head of Arctic Command, Major General Kim Jesper Jørgensen, on its operations.

Yesterday, Senator King and the delegation surveyed the Jacobshavn Glacier, which is Greenland’s largest and fastest-melting glacier.

Today is the second day of a three day fact-finding mission in Greenland focused on examining the environmental and security implications of the warming Arctic climate.

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