Nunatarsuaq (old spelling: ''Nunatarssuaq'', da, Hovgård Kystland) is a nunatak ( kl, nunataq) in Avannaata municipality in northwestern

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 ...

Geography

Nunatarsuaq is one of several nunataks in the

Melville Bay Melville Bay ( kl, Qimusseriarsuaq; da, Melville Bugt), is a large bay off the coast of northwestern Greenland. Located to the north of the Upernavik Archipelago, it opens to the south-west into Baffin Bay. Its Kalaallisut name, ''Qimusseriarsu ...

region of Greenland, where the Greenland ice sheet ( kl, Sermersuaq) drains into the bay alongside its entire length apart from an occasional nunatak.''Upernavik Avannarleq'', Saga Map, Tage Schjøtt, 1992 Nunatarsuaq is located on the mainland of Greenland in the northernmost part of

Upernavik Archipelago Upernavik Archipelago is a vast coastal archipelago in the Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland, off the shores of northeastern Baffin Bay. The archipelago extends from the northwestern coast of Sigguup Nunaa peninsula in the south at ...

. To the north and east, Greenland icesheet drains into Melville Bay via unnamed, low-altitude

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 ...

Isolation as an island

In the event of glacial retreat, the nunatak will be isolated as an island. Unlike the available maps of Melville Bay, OpenStreetMap maps, and the satellite photographs of

Google Maps Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panoramic views of streets ( Street View), real-time traffic conditions, and rou ...

show the nunatak as already isolated, with fast sea-ice in place of the retreated icesheet. Kullorsuaq-island-aerial

References

{{coord, 74, 43, N, 56, 58, W, display=title Melville Bay Nunataks of Greenland Upernavik Archipelago