Heritage sites, Archaeological discoveries, History of Archaeology

Ilulissat Icefjord

Location

West coast of Greenland

Country

Denmark

Year of Research

2004

Culture

It lies on the west coast of Greenland, 250 km north of the Arctic Circle, Greenland’s Ilulissat Icefjord (40,240 ha) is the sea mouth of Sermeq Kujalleq, one of the few glaciers through which the Greenland ice cap reaches the sea.

Sermeq Kujalleq is one of the speedest(19 m per day) and most active glaciers in the world.

It annually calves over 35 km3 of ice, i.e. 10% of the production of all Greenland calf ice and more than any other glacier outside Antarctica.

It has helped to develop our understanding of climate change and icecap glaciology and it has been studied for over 250 years.

The combination of a huge ice-sheet and the dramatic sounds of a fast-moving glacial ice-stream calving into a fjord surrounded by icebergs makes for a dramatic and awe-inspiring natural phenomenon.

The Ilulissat Icefjord is a best example of a stage in the Earth’s history: the last ice age of the Quaternary Period. The ice-stream is one of the fastest (19m per day) and most active in the world.

Its annual calving of over 35 cu. km of ice accounts for 10% of the production of all Greenland calf ice, more than any other glacier outside Antarctica.

The glacier has been the object of scientific attention for 250 years and, along with its relative ease of accessibility, has significantly added to the understanding of ice-cap glaciology, climate change and related geomorphic processes.