Ilulissat Icefjord on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Ilulissat Icefjord ( kl, Ilulissat Kangerlua) is a
The fjord contains the Explore Ilulissat Icefjord – teaching material from GEUS
/ref>
Ilulissat Icefjord
Book edited by Ole Bennike, Naja Mikkelsen, Greg McCollum, Henrik Klinge Pedersen and Anker Weidick,
NASA study: Fastest Glacier in Greenland Doubles SpeedIlulissat Icefjord UNESCO Website
{{Authority control Ilulissat Disko Bay Fjords of Greenland World Heritage Sites in Greenland World Heritage Sites in Denmark simple:Ilulissat#Ilulissat ice fjord
fjord
In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Förden and East Jutland Fjorde, Germany, ...
in western Greenland
Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland i ...
. Located 250 km north of the Arctic Circle, the Ilulissat Icefjord runs west from the Greenland ice sheet to Disko Bay just south of Ilulissat town. Ilulissat Icefjord was declared a UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
in 2004 because of its natural beauty and the importance of the fast-moving Jakobshavn Glacier
Jakobshavn Glacier ( da, Jakobshavn Isbræ), also known as Ilulissat Glacier ( kl, Sermeq Kujalleq), is a large outlet glacier in West Greenland. It is located near the Greenlandic town of Ilulissat (colonial name in da, Jakobshavn) and ends a ...
in developing the current scientific understanding of anthropogenic climate change.
Geography
The fjord contains the Jakobshavn Glacier
Jakobshavn Glacier ( da, Jakobshavn Isbræ), also known as Ilulissat Glacier ( kl, Sermeq Kujalleq), is a large outlet glacier in West Greenland. It is located near the Greenlandic town of Ilulissat (colonial name in da, Jakobshavn) and ends a ...
( kl, Sermeq Kujalleq), the most productive glacier
A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...
in the Northern Hemisphere. The glacier flows at a rate of per day, resulting in around 20 billion tonnes of icebergs
An iceberg is a piece of freshwater ice more than 15 m long that has broken off a glacier or an ice shelf and is floating freely in open (salt) water. Smaller chunks of floating glacially-derived ice are called "growlers" or "bergy bits". The ...
calved off and passing out of the fjord every year.
Icebergs breaking from the glacier are often so large —up to a kilometer (3,300 ft) in height— that they are too tall to float down the fjord and lie stuck on the bottom of its shallower areas, sometimes for years, until they are broken up by the force of the glacier and icebergs further up the fjord. On breaking up the icebergs emerge into the open sea and initially travel north with ocean currents before turning south and running into the Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
. Larger icebergs typically do not melt until they reach 40- 45 degrees north —further south than the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
and level with New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
./ref>
See also
*List of fjords of Greenland
This is a list of the most important fjords of Greenland:In Northern Greenland, a large area made up entirely of fjords; therefore Peary Land above not a fjord but a fjord area.In Northeastern Greenland, a large area made up entirely of fjo ...
References
Bibliography
Ilulissat Icefjord
Book edited by Ole Bennike, Naja Mikkelsen, Greg McCollum, Henrik Klinge Pedersen and Anker Weidick,
Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland
The Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland ( da, Danmarks og Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse, GEUS) is the independent sector research institute under the Danish Ministry of Climate and Energy. GEUS is an advisory, research and survey i ...
, 28 September 2004,
External links
*NASA study: Fastest Glacier in Greenland Doubles Speed
{{Authority control Ilulissat Disko Bay Fjords of Greenland World Heritage Sites in Greenland World Heritage Sites in Denmark simple:Ilulissat#Ilulissat ice fjord