Brønlundhus

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Brønlundhus, on some maps also Brønlundfjord or Brönlundfjord, is a former research station and radio station located on the western shore of Jørgen Brønlund Fjord in southern Peary Land, in northern Greenland. It is named after Greenlandic Arctic researcher Jørgen Brønlund, or after the namesake fjord on which it is located. It is close to the mouth of Jørgen Brønlund Fjord where it opens into Independence Fjord.

Jørgen Brønlund Fjord

Jørgen Brønlund Fjord is a fjord in southern Peary Land, northern Greenland, with its mouth located at 82°7′N29°58′W. It is about 30 km long and 1 to 2 km wide, and opens out to Independence Fjord in the south. Brønlundhus, a former research station, is located on the west side close to the mouth of the fjord, and Kap Harald Moltke on the east side. It was named after polar explorer Jørgen Brønlund by the Danmark expedition.

Peary Land peninsula

Peary Land is a peninsula in northern Greenland, extending into the Arctic Ocean. It reaches from Victoria Fjord in the west to Independence Fjord in the south and southeast, and to the Arctic Ocean in the north, with Cape Morris Jesup, the northernmost point of Greenland's mainland, and Cape Bridgman in the northeast.

Greenland autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark

Greenland is an autonomous constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for more than a millennium. The majority of its residents are Inuit, whose ancestors began migrating from the Canadian mainland in the 13th century, gradually settling across the island.

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History

Brønlundhus was built in 194748 by the Danish Peary Land Expeditions on initiative of Eigil Knuth, through an air lift by PBY Catalina seaplanes from Zackenbergbasen, a station built for that purpose close to a trapper's hut at the site of present Zackenberg research station area 1000 km farther south. Brønlundhus was the first station in Greenland with all equipment transported by airlift. The seaplanes could land in the fjord only during the ice-free period from mid-July to end of August.

Count Eigil Knuth was a Danish explorer, archaeologist, sculptor and writer. He is referred to as the Nestor of Danish polar explorers. His archaeological investigations were made in Peary Land and adjacent areas of High Arctic Greenland. Knuth was made a Knight of the Dannebrog.

Seaplane airplane with an undercarriage capable of operating from water surfaces

A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing (alighting) on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are in a subclass called amphibious aircraft. Seaplanes and amphibians are usually divided into two categories based on their technological characteristics: floatplanes and flying boats; the latter are generally far larger and can carry far more. These aircraft were sometimes called hydroplanes, but currently this term applies instead to motor-powered watercraft that use the technique of hydrodynamic lift to skim the surface of water when running at speed.

Zackenberg mountain in Greenland

Zackenberg or Zackenburg is a mountain in Wollaston Foreland, NE Greenland.

Brønlundhus was used as a base for the first expedition 194850 when Peary Land was explored by scientists on dog sled. Until the establishment of Alert in Canada in 1950, Brønlundhus was the northernmost station in the world, not counting historical depot huts of polar explorers including Peary's Cape Columbia Depot. From 1963 to 1972 the station was occasionally used during summers (April to August) as a base for smaller groups working in the area around the station. In 1972 a new station, Kap Harald Moltke, was built some ten kilometers east of Brønlundhus, on the opposite side of Jørgen Brønlund Fjord, where an old raised seabed provides a natural runway, making air access possible. In summer, traffic between the two neighboring stations is by boat, depending on ice conditions. Since the death of Eigil Knuth in 1996, the stations have been administered by the Peary Land Foundation.

Dog sled sled pulled by one or more sled dogs

A dog sled or dog sleigh is a sled pulled by one or more sled dogs used to travel over ice and through snow. Numerous types of sleds are used, depending on their function. They can be used for dog sled racing. In Greenland the dogs pull in a fan shape in front of the sled, while in other regions, such as Alaska and Canada the dogs pull side by side in pairs.

Alert, Nunavut Weather station and Canadian Forces Station in Nunavut, Canada

Alert, in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada, is the northernmost permanently inhabited place in the world, at latitude 82°30'05" north, 817 kilometres (508 mi) from the North Pole. The entire population of the census subdivision Baffin, Unorganized is located here. As of the 2016 census, the population was reported as 62, an increase of 57 over the 2011 census. It takes its name from HMS Alert, which wintered 10 km (6.2 mi) east of the present station, off what is now Cape Sheridan, in 1875–1876.

Cape Columbia

Cape Columbia is the northernmost point of land of Canada, located on Ellesmere Island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut. It marks the westernmost coastal point of Lincoln Sea in the Arctic Ocean. It is the world's northernmost point of land outside Greenland and the distance to the North Pole is 769 km (478 mi).

Today, Brønlundhus can be characterised as a museum, with a collection of artefacts from polar explorations. In 2001, a Nanok team found the station in reasonably good condition, and performed minor repairs and exterior maintenance with paint and felt. [1]

See also

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References

Coordinates: 82°10′30″N30°40′06″W / 82.17500°N 30.66833°W / 82.17500; -30.66833

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.