Greenlandic Mud Can Strengthen Agriculture Worldwide

Greenlandic geologist Minik Rosing has dedicated eight years to researching how Greenlandic silt can address both global hunger and climate change. He is now pursuing its worldwide export. This “Greenlandic silt” refers to glacial silt deposits, also known as glacier flour, which are formed by meltwater from the vast Greenlandic Ice Sheet. This nutrient-rich silt holds significant potential to enhance agricultural yields and contribute to carbon dioxide absorption from the atmosphere.​

What is Greenland mud?

Silt is a soil particle that is finer than sand but coarser than clay, and in Greenland, it is a natural by-product of meltwater from the Ice Sheet, which is the world’s second-largest ice cap, covering approximately 80% of Greenland’s landmass. Greenland annually receives about one billion tonnes of these glacial deposits, highlighting the abundant supply of this valuable material.

The silt is rich in essential nutrients vital for plant growth, offering several key benefits:

• Agriculture: Glacier flour, due to its nutrient density, can significantly improve soil quality and boost agricultural output.
• CO2 Absorption: Initial research indicates that silt possesses the capacity to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, though further investigation is ongoing in this promising area.
• Food Security: By enhancing crop yields, silt has the potential to strengthen global food security and mitigate economic disparities.

The profound potential of Greenland’s glacier flour led Professor Rosing to a pivotal question eight years ago: Can it help resolve global food shortages, particularly in some of the world’s most impoverished nations? If this hypothesis proves correct, this dried mud could not only alleviate hunger but also curb the destruction of tropical rainforests and simultaneously combat climate change. Rosing and his research team are actively working to document glacier flour’s efficacy as a soil improver that can actively capture CO2 when applied to agricultural fields. Rosing shared, “I had this thesis from the beginning, but it was remarkable to witness how significant and rapid the glacier flour’s effects were. To be able to sprinkle the flour over a field and observe an immediate impact on the plants, almost the next day, was both surprising and tremendously encouraging.”

Rosing has conducted numerous experiments across Denmark and other countries. Danish cultivation trials, culminating at Carlsberg’s test fields, yielded astonishing results, with the lead researcher exclaiming, “It’s insane, it’s insane.” The outcomes in Ghana are particularly compelling, where field trials demonstrated an almost 50% increase in maize plant yield after the application of glacier flour; similar positive results have been observed in Brazil. Rosing noted, “Both in Brazil and Ghana, they were completely on board with the potential here.” Minik Rosing also chairs a new start-up, collaborating with business professionals, with the aim of promoting the global commercial distribution of glacier flour. Rosing elaborated, “The company has been established, and we are applying for extraction permits in Greenland. This initiative can also generate jobs and income within the country. The sale of glacier flour should directly benefit Greenland.”

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