Summary
Bernstorff Fjord (Danish: Bernstorff Isfjord; Greenlandic: Kangertittivaq)[1] is a fjord in King Frederick VI Coast, eastern Greenland.
| Bernstorff Fjord | |
|---|---|
| Kangertittivaq Bernstorff Isfjord | |
| Kangertittivaq (Greenlandic) | |
 NASA picture with the Bernstorff Fjord in the bottom half | |
  Bernstorff Fjord Location in Greenland | |
| Location | Arctic |
| Coordinates | 63°42′N 41°10′W / 63.700°N 41.167°W |
| Ocean/sea sources | North Atlantic Ocean |
| Basin countries | Greenland |
Administratively it is part of the Sermersooq municipality. The fjord was named after Danish statesman Andreas Peter Bernstorff. This fjord is almost always blocked by heavy ice.[2]
History edit
One of the coastal islands, Igdluluarssuk (Sattiaatteq) at the entrance of the fjord on its southern side, had had the northernmost Inuit settlement of the southern group on the east coast in the recent past.[3]
Arctic explorer Wilhelm August Graah of the Danish Navy explored this area in 1828–30, during an expedition in search of the legendary Eastern Norse Settlement.[4]
Geography edit
To the east the Bernstorff Fjord opens into the Irminger Sea (North Atlantic Ocean). It separates the Odinland Peninsula with its SE end, Cape Møsting to the north,[2] from the Thorland Peninsula and Cape Moltke to the south of the fjord.[5] A single island, Ensomheden, is located within the fjord about 33 kilometres (21 miles) from its mouth.[6]
The Storebjørn, Bernstorff, Fimbul and Sleipner glaciers at the head of this fjord produce massive amounts of ice.[7] The Ydun Glacier, Gerd Glacier and Gymer Glacier are smaller glaciers flowing from Odinland into the northern shore of Bernstorff Fjord, and the Tjalfe Glacier and Røskva Glacier flow from Thorland into the southern shore. The constant glacier activity produces a powerful current streaming out of the fjord which, together with the numerous ice floes, makes navigation hazardous in the area between its mouth and Umivik Bay.
See also edit
Bibliography edit
- Spencer Apollonio, Lands That Hold One Spellbound: A Story of East Greenland, 2008
References edit
- ^ "Den grønlandske Lods - Geodatastyrelsen" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-10-28. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
- ^ a b Prostar Sailing Directions 2005 Greenland and Iceland Enroute, p. 102
- ^ Encyclopedia Arctica 15: Biographies - Gustav Frederick Holm
- ^ Graah, W. A. (1832). Undersøgelses-Reise til Østkysten af Grønland, efter kongelig Befaling udført i Aarene 1828-31 [Exploration of the East Coast of Greenland, by royal order executed in the years 1828-31] (in Danish). Copenhagen.
- ^ "Bernstorff Isfjord". Mapcarta. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
- ^ "Ensomheden". Mapcarta. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
- ^ Evidence for the asynchronous retreat of large outlet glaciers in southeast Greenland at the end of the last glaciation
External links edit
- Picture of Ensomheden in the middle of Bernstorff Fjord
- Seabirds and seals in Southeast Greenland; Results from a survey in July 2014