Danmark Fjord

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Danmark Fjord
Denmark Sound
North Greenland section-txu-pclmaps-oclc-8322829 a 1.jpg
Map of Northeastern Greenland
Greenland edcp relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Danmark Fjord
Location in Greenland
Location Arctic
Coordinates 81°40′N26°20′W / 81.667°N 26.333°W / 81.667; -26.333 Coordinates: 81°40′N26°20′W / 81.667°N 26.333°W / 81.667; -26.333
Ocean/sea sources Wandel Sea
Basin  countries Greenland
FrozenPractically all year round

Danmark Fjord (Danish : Danmarksfjorden), also known as Denmark Sound , is a fjord in northeast Greenland within Northeast Greenland National Park.

Danish language North Germanic language spoken in Denmark

Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in Denmark and in the region of Southern Schleswig in northern Germany, where it has minority language status. Also, minor Danish-speaking communities are found in Norway, Sweden, Spain, the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Argentina. Due to immigration and language shift in urban areas, around 15–20% of the population of Greenland speak Danish as their first language.

Sound (geography) A long, relatively wide body of water, connecting two larger bodies of water

In geography, a sound is a large sea or ocean inlet, deeper than a bight and wider than a fjord; or a narrow sea or ocean channel between two bodies of land.

Fjord A long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by glacial activity

Geologically, a fjord or fiord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. There are many fjords on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Kamchatka, the Kerguelen Islands, New Zealand, Norway, Novaya Zemlya, Labrador, Nunavut, Newfoundland, Quebec, Scotland, South Georgia Island, and Washington state. Norway's coastline is estimated at 29,000 kilometres (18,000 mi) with nearly 1,200 fjords, but only 2,500 kilometres (1,600 mi) when fjords are excluded.

Contents

The fjord was explored and named after the expedition ship Danmark at the time of the ill-fated Denmark expedition 1906-1908 led by Ludvig Mylius-Erichsen which mapped Greenland's northeastern coast between Cape Bridgman and Cape Bismarck. [1]

Denmark expedition 1906–1908 expedition to Greenland

The Denmark expedition, also known as Denmark Expedition to Greenland's Northeast Coast, and as the Danmark Expedition after the ship, was an expedition to the northeast of Greenland in 1906–1908.

Ludvig Mylius-Erichsen Danish writer

Ludvig Mylius-Erichsen was a Danish author, ethnologist, and explorer, from Ringkøbing. He was most notably an explorer of Greenland.

Cape Bridgman peninsula in Northeast Greenland National Park, Greenland

Cape Bridgman is a headland in the Wandel Sea, Arctic Ocean, northeast Greenland.

History

In May 1907 Mylius-Erichsen entered the unknown Danmark Fjord with his three-dogsled exploration team deeming it would be leading him to the Navy Cliff and the Peary Channel. The team, which included cartographer Niels Peter Høeg Hagen and dogsled expert Jørgen Brønlund, traveled southwestwards until the head of the fjord and, becoming aware that it was a dead end, they backtracked to the northeast.

Peary Channel

The Peary Channel is a waterway in the territory of Nunavut. It is an arm of the Arctic Ocean, and it spreads southeast between Meighen Island to the north, Axel Heiberg Island to the east, Amund Ringnes Island to the south, and Ellef Ringnes Island to the west. The channel is approximately 193 km (120 mi) long and 97 km (60 mi) wide.

Niels Peter Høeg Hagen Danish cartographer

Niels Peter Høeg Hagen, was a Danish military officer, polar explorer and cartographer. He participated in the ill-fated Denmark expedition to NE Greenland in 1906.

Jørgen Brønlund Greenlandic explorer

Jørgen Brønlund, was a Greenlandic polar explorer, educator, and catechist. He participated in two Danish expeditions to Greenland in the early 20th century.

By the end of May Mylius-Erichsen's team was back again at the mouth of the fjord. As they met Johan Peter Koch's northern team at Cape Rigsdagen, already on their way back from Cape Bridgman, Mylius-Erichsen realized that they had wasted precious time and provisions by entering the long unexplored fjord. The delay would eventually lead the three men to their death as they pressed westward along the southern shore of Independence Fjord instead of returning to the ship. [2]

Johan Peter Koch Danish arctic explorer

Johan Peter Koch was a Danish captain and explorer of the Arctic dependencies of Denmark, born at Vestenskov.

Independence Fjord bay

Independence Fjord or Independence Sound is a large fjord or sound in the eastern part of northern Greenland. It is about 200 km (120 mi) long and up to 30 km (19 mi) wide. Its mouth, opening to the Wandel Sea of the Arctic Ocean is located at 82°15′N21°54′W.

Geography

This fjord, together with Independence Fjord has its mouth in the Wandel Sea, which is part of the Arctic Ocean. Three islands are located in the bay at the mouth of the sound, Princess Thyra Island, Princess Margaret Island and Princess Dagmar Island. [3] The area was formerly part of Avannaa, originally Nordgrønland ("North Greenland"), a former county of Greenland until 31 December 2008.

Wandel Sea A body of water in the Arctic Ocean from northeast of Greenland to Svalbard

The Wandel Sea is a body of water in the Arctic Ocean, stretching from northeast of Greenland to Svalbard. It is obstructed by ice most of the year.

Arctic Ocean The smallest and shallowest of the worlds five major oceans, located in the north polar regions

The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, although some oceanographers call it the Arctic Sea. It is classified as an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, and it is also seen as the northernmost part of the all-encompassing World Ocean.

Princess Thyra Island uninhabited island off the coast of northern Greenland

Princess Thyra Island is an uninhabited island of the Wandel Sea, Greenland. The island is within King Frederick VIII Land in the Northeast Greenland National Park. The island was named after Princess Thyra of Denmark.

The Danish military base and weather station Nord is located by the sound on the western side of Crown Prince Christian Land, the peninsula on the eastern side. Mylius-Erichsen Land is the peninsula to the west. Unlike other fjords in the area, there is no large calving glacier at the head of the Danmark Fjord, but it is icebound the whole year round.

Military base facility directly owned and operated by or for the military

A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a command center, training ground or proving ground. In most cases, military bases rely on outside help to operate. However, certain complex bases are able to endure on their own for long periods because they are able to provide food, water and other life support necessities for their inhabitants while under siege. Military bases for military aviation are called military air bases. Military bases for military ships are called naval bases.

Weather station set of sensors that record and provide physical measurements and meteorological parameters

A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for measuring atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include temperature, atmospheric pressure, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, and precipitation amounts. Wind measurements are taken with as few other obstructions as possible, while temperature and humidity measurements are kept free from direct solar radiation, or insolation. Manual observations are taken at least once daily, while automated measurements are taken at least once an hour. Weather conditions out at sea are taken by ships and buoys, which measure slightly different meteorological quantities such as sea surface temperature (SST), wave height, and wave period. Drifting weather buoys outnumber their moored versions by a significant amount.

Crown Prince Christian Land peninsula in Greenland

Crown Prince Christian Land is a large peninsula in northern Greenland. It is a part of King Frederick VIII Land and administratively it belongs to the Northeast Greenland National Park.

1911 German map of NE Greenland showing the Denmark Fjord. Karte Nordostgronland Koch 1911.png
1911 German map of NE Greenland showing the Denmark Fjord.

See also

Related Research Articles

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.

Ejnar Mikkelsen Danish explorer and writer

Ejnar Mikkelsen (1880–1971), was a Danish polar explorer and author. He is most known for his expeditions to Greenland.

Germania Land peninsula in Greenland

Germania Land or Germanialand is a peninsula in northeastern Greenland. Despite the high latitude it is largely unglaciated.

Hagen Fjord fjord in northeastern Greenland

Hagen Fjord is a fjord in north-eastern Greenland. It was named after Niels Peter Høeg Hagen, the cartographer of the main exploration team of the ill-fated Denmark expedition.

Tobias Island newly discovered island in the northeastern part of Greenland

Tobias Island is a small island off the northeastern coast of Greenland.

Saunders Island, Greenland

Saunders Island is an island in North Star Bay, Baffin Bay in the Qaasuitsup municipality of northwest Greenland. The island is named after Commander James Saunders of the British Royal Navy.

King Frederick VIII Land Region in Greenland

King Frederick VIII Land is a major geographic division of northeastern Greenland. It extends above the Arctic Circle from 76°N to 81°N in a N/S direction along the coast of the Greenland Sea.

Lambert Land area in Greenland

Lambert Land is a land area —possibly a peninsula or an island— in King Frederick VIII Land, northeastern Greenland. Administratively it belongs to the NE Greenland National Park area.

Mylius-Erichsen Land peninsula in Greenland

Mylius-Erichsen Land is a peninsula in King Frederick VIII Land, northeastern Greenland. Administratively it belongs to the NE Greenland National Park area.

Benedict Fjord

Benedict Fjord is a fjord in Peary Land, northern Greenland. To the north, the fjord opens into the Lincoln Sea of the Arctic Ocean.

Daly Range

The Daly Range or Daly Mountains is a mountain range in Peary Land, Northern Greenland. Administratively this range is part of the Northeast Greenland National Park.

Peary Channel (Greenland)

The Peary Channel was a hypothetical sound or marine channel running from east to west separating Peary Land in northernmost Greenland from the mainland further south.

References

  1. ↑ John McCannon, A History of the Arctic: Nature, Exploration and Exploitation, p. 213
  2. ↑ Spencer Apollonio, Lands That Hold One Spellbound: A Story of East Greenland, 2008 pp. 101-120
  3. ↑ Prinsesse Thyra Ø
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