Ilulissat, Greenland
Today is all about ice. Big ice. Over eighty percent of Greenland is covered by ice. Glacial ice, that is, a product of the Ice Ages that continues here. Maybe not for long, as Greenland’s glaciers are melting at an alarming rate. But that is another story.
Ilulissat is the Greenlandic word for “The Icebergs.” And the Ilulissat Icefjord is choked with icebergs of all shapes and sizes that prevent any possibility of navigating to the edge of the Jakobshavn glacier, which is the northern hemisphere’s most active glacier. In fact, the icebergs are so large that they can’t cross the submerged moraine at the mouth of the fjord and become grounded, sometimes for years before they break up and float out to sea. This fjord was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2004, but has been inhabited by the Inuit for at least 3,000 years.
Our goal today is to observe the ice, both on land and the water. A tundra hike takes us to an overlook with a panoramic view. Meanwhile local fishing boats bring us even closer, right out among the bergs. It is a cathedral of ice, worthy of silent meditation and contemplation of the changes our planet is currently going through. How long will the ice last?
Today is all about ice. Big ice. Over eighty percent of Greenland is covered by ice. Glacial ice, that is, a product of the Ice Ages that continues here. Maybe not for long, as Greenland’s glaciers are melting at an alarming rate. But that is another story.
Ilulissat is the Greenlandic word for “The Icebergs.” And the Ilulissat Icefjord is choked with icebergs of all shapes and sizes that prevent any possibility of navigating to the edge of the Jakobshavn glacier, which is the northern hemisphere’s most active glacier. In fact, the icebergs are so large that they can’t cross the submerged moraine at the mouth of the fjord and become grounded, sometimes for years before they break up and float out to sea. This fjord was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2004, but has been inhabited by the Inuit for at least 3,000 years.
Our goal today is to observe the ice, both on land and the water. A tundra hike takes us to an overlook with a panoramic view. Meanwhile local fishing boats bring us even closer, right out among the bergs. It is a cathedral of ice, worthy of silent meditation and contemplation of the changes our planet is currently going through. How long will the ice last?
