15 Questions
What did the Vikings find in Greenland?
A string of verdant meadows with wildflowers
Where did the Vikings set up camp in Greenland?
Amidst jagged, imposing cliffs protected from the elements
What did the Vikings establish in Greenland?
A society similar to the one they had left behind in Norway
What was the population of the Viking settlement at its peak?
5000
How long did the Viking settlement in Greenland prosper before disappearing?
450 years
What has drawn hundreds of scientists, including McGovern, to Greenland each summer?
The tantalizing mystery of the Viking settlement's disappearance
What did McGovern primarily study to understand the lives and deaths of the Greenland Vikings?
The natural environment disturbances and garbage heaps
What information did the garbage heaps provide about the lives of the Greenland Vikings?
Insight into their diet, clothing, and household items
Why are ice sheets considered a treasure trove for climate scientists?
They absorb various particles from the atmosphere over time
What is the purpose of analyzing ice-trapped particles by climate scientists?
To study historical atmospheric conditions
What did the analysis of ice samples from Greenland reveal about the temperature when the Vikings first arrived?
Anomalously higher than average for the last 1000 years
What did scientists qualify the period as when the Vikings had vanished?
A mini ice-age overlain on seasonal variations
Where was the segment of ice sheet drilled for analysis located?
Not far from the Viking settlements
What was the width of the 3000-meter-long cylinder of ice extracted for analysis?
$12$ centimeters
What university houses Jim White's light stable isotope lab?
University of Colorado at Boulder
Test your knowledge about Erik the Red's journey to Greenland and the misleading name it carries. Explore the challenges faced by the Vikings in this forbidding land and their discoveries tucked between the harsh environment.
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