### Hidden Cold War Base Unveiled by NASA Scientist under Greenland Ice

In an extraordinary discovery, a NASA scientist identified an abandoned Cold War military base beneath Greenland’s ice sheet this April. The revelation was shared by NASA's Earth Observatory on Monday. Scientist Chad Greene, while aboard a Gulfstream III aircraft aimed at monitoring a radar instrument, captured an image of the ice sheet, leading to the unexpected find.

The historical site, known as Camp Century, emerged during a survey flight over northern Greenland. Cryospheric scientist Alex Gardner from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory explained, "We were looking for the bed of the ice and out pops Camp Century. We didn't know what it was at first."

Camp Century, dubbed the "city under the ice," was built in 1959 by the US Army Corps of Engineers. These engineers crafted an intricate tunnel network within the ice sheet. The facility, however, was abandoned in 1967 and eventually buried under around 100 feet of accumulated snow and ice.

Utilizing radar technology, scientists were able to map the ice surface. They sent out radio waves and measured their reflection times. While past surveys hinted at the existence of Camp Century, the recent flights in April were equipped with NASA's UAVSAR (Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar), providing more detailed and dimensional maps.

The added dimension in these newer scans presents both a wealth of information and increased complexity in image interpretation. Researchers are now using radar maps to predict when ice melting or thinning might reveal the camp and assess the presence of any lingering radioactive or chemical waste.

Greene and Gardner's primary objective was not to uncover historical relics but to enhance their understanding of UAVSAR's capabilities in mapping the ice sheet's internal layers and interfaces. "Without detailed knowledge of ice thickness, it is impossible to know how the ice sheets will respond... limiting our ability to project rates of sea level rise," noted Gardner.

The test flights conducted in April are paving the way for advanced ice-mapping techniques in Greenland, Antarctica, and other yet-to-be-explored regions, marking a significant step forward in polar research.