The Ice River Spring on

Ellesmere Island Ellesmere Island ( iu, script=Latn, Umingmak Nuna, lit=land of muskoxen; french: île d'Ellesmere) is Canada's northernmost and List of Canadian islands by area, third largest island, and the List of islands by area, tenth largest in the world. ...

, in

Nunavut Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' ...

, Canada, is a high discharge perennial

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a ...

. As of 2014, it is the highest latitude perennial spring known. The spring is located at above sea level, on the south-facing slope of an mountain. The spring's discharge has carved a gully, and flows to the

Ice River 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#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...

. The spring was originally discovered in 2009, and observed to gush forth all year round. Analysis of the spring water, shows that it originated from the surface, and circulated deep into the Earth before returning through the cryosphere. The spring flows year-round, even in the middle of winter when surface air temperatures reach . The gully it carves out is reminiscent of gullies on Mars. The average annual air temperatures in the region is , while the spring's water's average is . The spring discharges , even though it is located in an area with

permafrost Permafrost is ground that continuously remains below 0 °C (32 °F) for two or more years, located on land or under the ocean. Most common in the Northern Hemisphere, around 15% of the Northern Hemisphere or 11% of the global surface ...

over thick.

References

External links

* {{coord, 81, 11, 24, N, 86, 44, 12, W, type:river_region:CA-NU, display=title Ellesmere Island Springs of Canada Landforms of Qikiqtaaluk Region Landforms of Nunavut

Further reading

References

External links