Disko Bay

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Disko Bay
Diskobugten
Qeqertarsuup tunua (Greenlandic)
Disko-bay-icebergs.jpg
Icebergs in Disko Bay
Greenland edcp relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Disko Bay
Location in Greenland
Location Arctic
Coordinates 69°00′N52°00′W / 69.000°N 52.000°W / 69.000; -52.000
Ocean/sea sources Baffin Bay
Basin  countries Greenland
Settlements Saqqaq, Ilulissat, Ilimanaq, Qasigiannguit, Ikamiut, Akunnaaq, Aasiaat, Kitsissuarsuit

Disko Bay (Greenlandic : Qeqertarsuup tunua; Danish : Diskobugten [1] ) is a large bay on the western coast of Greenland. The bay constitutes a wide southeastern inlet of Baffin Bay.

Contents

Geography

Disko Bay
Disko Bay
Disko Bay Disko-bay-rays.jpg
Disko Bay

To the south the coastline is complicated with multiple waterways of skerries and small islands in the Aasiaat archipelago. Qasigiannguit and Ilimanaq are the main settlements in the southeastern inlet, just south of the outflow of Ilulissat Icefjord.

From the north the bay is bounded by Qeqertarsuaq (Disko Island), the largest island on the western coast. North of Ilulissat and west of Alluttoq Island the bay transforms into Sullorsuaq Strait separating Qeqertarsuaq from Nuussuaq Peninsula. [2]

It is the largest open bay in western Greenland, measuring 150 km north to south and 100 km east to west. It has an average depth of 400 m and average water temperature of 3.5 °C, which in winter drops to −1.75 °C and then rises up to 12 °C in summer. [3] This is changing, as the bay has been gradually warming up since 1997. [4]

History

It is uncertain when the Inuit first started venturing into Disko Bay, but the Saqqaq were present there between 2400 and 900 BC. [5]

Disko Bay has been an important location for centuries. Its coastline was first encountered by Europeans when Erik the Red started a settlement in 985 AD on the more habitable western coast of Greenland. [6] The two settlements, called the Eastern and Western settlements, were sustenance economies that survived on animal husbandry and farming. [6] Soon after the Western settlement was established, the Norsemen travelled up the coast during the summer thaw and discovered Disko Bay.

Their interest in this bay was due to its rich resources: walruses for ivory, [6] [7] seals for their pelts, and whales for a variety of materials. These products became the main source of income for the Greenlandic settlers who traded with Iceland, the British Isles, and mainland Europe. [7] Without these resources the settlements would probably not have lasted as long as they did. [6]

Norse accounts describe the area as uninhabited when they first explored it. Norse accounts document an eventual trade arrangement with the Inuit who came from the north and west. For a time, both parties made peaceful use of the bay. Later accounts [8] report fighting and massacres on both sides. However, the primary reason for the abandonment of the Greenlandic settlements was the advent of the Little Ice Age that started in the 15th century. There was such an extreme shift in temperature that Disko Bay became inaccessible even in the warmer summer months, thereby destroying the livelihood of the Greenlandic Norse. Even the Eastern settlement, which was below the Arctic Circle, became too cold for habitation. From that time until Danish colonization in the 18th century, the Inuit controlled the Disko Bay area although English and Dutch whalers sometimes visited the area after it was charted during John Davis's third Greenland expedition in 1587.

Wildlife

Iceberg in Disko Bay Panoramic views of Icebergs off Greenland in the Greenland Sea 45.jpg
Iceberg in Disko Bay
Humpback Whale Megaptera in Disko Bay Tail of Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae in Disko Bay Greenland - Buiobuone 02.jpg
Humpback Whale Megaptera in Disko Bay

It is home to a wide range of species due to the nutrient-rich waters. This includes benthic and pelagic fish, such as capelin ( Mallotus villosus ) and cod ( Gadus morhua ). This attracts migratory seals such as harp ( Pagophilus groenlandicus ) and hooded seal ( Cystophora cristata ) and ringed ( Pusa hispida ) and bearded seal ( Erignathus barbatus ). [3]

The bay is home during spring time to bowhead ( Balaena mysticetus ) and humpback ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) whales, [9] as well as Pilot ( Globicephala melas ), killer whales ( Orcinus orca ) and narwhal ( Monodon monoceros ). [3] On the shores, various birds can be found such as gulls, terns, eider ducks, guillemots, kittiwakes, cormorants and fulmars. Animals such as Arctic foxes, hares and ptarmigan can be found around the bay. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenland</span> Autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark in North America

Greenland is a North American island that is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. The capital and largest city of Greenland is Nuuk. Greenland lies between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. It is the world's largest island, and is the location of Kaffeklubben Island, the world's northernmost undisputed point of land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Greenland</span>

The history of Greenland is a history of life under extreme Arctic conditions: currently, an ice sheet covers about eighty percent of the island, restricting human activity largely to the coasts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilulissat</span> City in Greenland

Ilulissat, formerly Jakobshavn or Jacobshaven, is the municipal seat and largest town of the Avannaata municipality in western Greenland, located approximately 350 km (220 mi) north of the Arctic Circle. With a population of 4,670 as of 2020, it is the third-largest city in Greenland, after Nuuk and Sisimiut. The city is home to almost as many sled-dogs as people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disko Island</span> Island in Baffin Bay, Greenland

Disko Island is a large island in Baffin Bay, off the west coast of Greenland. It has an area of 8,578 km2 (3,312 sq mi), making it the second largest of Greenland after the main island and one of the 100 largest islands in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qeqertarsuaq</span> Town on Disko Island, western Greenland

Qeqertarsuaq is a port and town in Qeqertalik municipality, located on the south coast of Disko Island on the west coast of Greenland. Founded in 1773, the town is now home to a campus of the University of Copenhagen known as Arctic Station. Qeqertarsuaq is the Kalaallisut name for Disko Island and is also now used for several other islands on Greenland, including those formerly known as Upernavik and Herbert Island. Qeqertarsuaq means 'the big island' in Kalaallisut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uummannaq Fjord</span> Fjord system in Greenland

Uummannaq Fjord is a large fjord system in the northern part of western Greenland, the largest after Kangertittivaq fjord in eastern Greenland. It has a roughly south-east to west-north-west orientation, emptying into the Baffin Bay in the northwest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qasigiannguit</span> Place in Greenland, Kingdom of Denmark

Qasigiannguit, formerly Christianshåb, is a town located in western Greenland on the southeastern shore of Disko Bay in the Qeqertalik municipality. With 1,081 inhabitants in 2020, it is the thirteenth-largest town in Greenland. The main industry is shrimp and halibut fishing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kullorsuaq</span> Place in Greenland, Kingdom of Denmark

Kullorsuaq is a settlement in the Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland. It is the northernmost settlement in the Upernavik Archipelago, located on Kullorsuaq Island at the southern end of Melville Bay, itself part of the larger Baffin Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuussuaq</span> Place in Greenland, Kingdom of Denmark

Nuussuaq, formerly Kraulshavn, is a settlement in Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland. It is the only mainland settlement in the Upernavik Archipelago, located near the western tip of the Nuussuaq Peninsula, on the northern coast of Sugar Loaf Bay, an indentation of Baffin Bay. It is most famously known as the official halfway point between Saskatoon and Helsinki as decided in the 2023 Concorde Drive halfway challenge. The settlement was founded in 1923 as a trading station, growing in size during the post-war consolidation phase, when hunters from several small villages in the region of neighboring Inussulik Bay, Sugar Loaf Bay, and Tasiusaq Bay moved into the larger settlements such as Nuussuaq and Kullorsuaq further north in Melville Bay. Today Nuussuaq remains one of the most traditional hunting and fishing villages in Greenland, with a stable population. The settlement had 181 inhabitants in 2020.

Saqqaq is a settlement in the Avannaata municipality in western Greenland. Founded in 1755 as Solsiden, Saqqaq had 132 inhabitants in 2020. The village's Kalaallisut name is a translation of the Danish meaning "Sunny Side", in reference to its position relative to Livets Top.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilimanaq</span> Place in Greenland, Kingdom of Denmark

Ilimanaq, formerly Claushavn, is a settlement in Avannaata municipality in western Greenland. It had 53 inhabitants in 2020. The modern name of the village is Kalaallisut for "Place of Expectations".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oqaatsut</span> Place in Greenland, Kingdom of Denmark

Oqaatsut, formerly Rodebay or Rodebaai, is a settlement in Avannaata municipality, in western Greenland. It had 29 inhabitants in 2020. The modern name of the settlement is Kalaallisut for "Cormorants". The village is served by the communal all-purpose Pilersuisoq store.

Tourism in Greenland is a relatively young business area of the country. Since the foundation of the national tourist council, Greenland Tourism, in 1992, the Home Rule Government has been working actively with promoting the destination and helping smaller tourist providers to establish their services. Foreign travel agencies have increasingly been opening up sale of Greenland trips and tours, and the cruise industry has had a relatively large increase in routes to Greenland since about the turn of the century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qaasuitsup</span>

Qaasuitsup was a municipality in Greenland, operational from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2017. As of January 2015, its population was 17,168. The administrative centre of the municipality was in Ilulissat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuussuaq Peninsula</span> Peninsula in western Greenland

Nuussuaq Peninsula is a large peninsula in western Greenland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qullissat</span> Place in Greenland, Kingdom of Denmark

Qullissat is a former settlement in the Qeqertalik municipality, located on the northeast coast of Disko Island on the west coast of Greenland. It was a coal mining town founded to exploit the natural resources of Disko Island. The mines operated for 48 years until 1972, when the economic base of the settlement collapsed, leading to its abandonment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenlandic Inuit</span> Ethnic group indigenous to Greenland

The Greenlandic Inuit are the indigenous and most populous ethnic group in Greenland. Most speak Greenlandic and consider themselves ethnically Greenlandic. People of Greenland are citizens of Denmark.

Sullorsuaq Strait is a strait on the western coast of Greenland.

Upernavik Archipelago is a vast coastal archipelago in the Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland, off the shores of northeastern Baffin Bay. The archipelago extends from the northwestern coast of Sigguup Nunaa peninsula in the south at approximately 71°50′N56°00′W to the southern end of Melville Bay in the north at approximately 74°50′N57°30′W.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avannaata</span> Municipality of Greenland

Avannaata is a municipality of Greenland created on 1 January 2018 from the bulk of the former Qaasuitsup municipality. It encompasses an area of 522,700 km2 and has 10,726 inhabitants.

References

  1. Christensen, N.O. & al. "Elections in Greenland Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine ". Arctic Circular, Vol. 4 (1951), pp. 8385. Op. cit. "Northern News". Arctic, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Mar 1952), pp. 5859.
  2. Nuussuaq, Saga Map, Tage Schjøtt, 1992
  3. 1 2 3 4 Morten Meldgaard Ancient Harp Seal Hunters of Disko Bay , p. 17-18, at Google Books
  4. Myers, Paul G.; Ribergaard, Mads H. (December 2013). "Warming of the Polar Water Layer in Disko Bay and Potential Impact on Jakobshavn Isbrae". Journal of Physical Oceanography. 43 (12): 2629–2640. doi: 10.1175/JPO-D-12-051.1 .
  5. Grønnow, Bjarne (2017-03-31). "The frozen Saqqaq sites of Disko Bay. Quqertasussuk and Qajaa (2400-900 BC). Studies of Saqqaq Material Culture in an Eastern Artic Perspective". humanities.ku.dk. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Kintisch, Eli (10 November 2016). "Why did Greenland's Vikings disappear?". sciencemag.org. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  7. 1 2 Frei, Karin M.; Coutu, Ashley N.; Smiarowski, Konrad; Harrison, Ramona; Madsen, Christian K.; Arneborg, Jette; Frei, Robert; Guðmundsson, Gardar; Sindbæk, Søren M.; Woollett, James; Hartman, Steven; Hicks, Megan; McGovern, Thomas H. (2015). "Was it for walrus? Viking Age settlement and medieval walrus ivory trade in Iceland and Greenland". Journal World Archaeology. 47 (3): 439–466. doi:10.1080/00438243.2015.1025912. S2CID   59436423.
  8. "History of Medieval Greenland". Archived from the original on 2012-02-27. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
  9. Laidre, Kristin L.; Heide-Jørgensen, Mads Peter (1 September 2012). "Spring partitioning of Disko Bay, West Greenland, by Arctic and Subarctic baleen whales". ICES Journal of Marine Science. 69 (7): 1226–1233. doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fss095 .

Sources