The star attraction of Ilulissat
and Disko Bay is Ilulissat Kangerlua, the Jakobshavn Icefjord
the Northern hemisphere's most prolific glacier.
It flows along discharging
icebergs into Disko bay at the rate of about 35 cubic kilometers
of ice per year or about 20 million tons of ice per DAY!
There
is an underwater barrier about 40km from the edge of the 5 km
wide glacier that is about 260m deep which traps the larger
icebergs building them up in Disko Bay. It is a combination of
the prodigious amount of ice being produced by the glacier and
the fact that lots of it hangs around for a year or two before
being freed beyond the underwater barrier that Makes the
icebergs in Disko bay so impressive.
Upon release the bergs are taken
north up the coast of Greenland by currents before heading south
down the Canadian coastline along the east side of Baffin Island
and Newfoundland.
It is probable that the ice berg that sank the
Titanic came from the Jakobshavn Icefjord.
Air temp: +10º C Latitude: 69º 15'
N Longitude: 51º 25' W
These are pictures
from a cruise to the High Arctic in August 2010, from Resolute
Bay Canada to Kangerlussuaq in Greenland.
Pictures copyright Paul Ward.
Pentax digital equipment.
2001 Paul Ward |
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