Ice&Ocean SUMMARY
the EXPEDITION
Our expedition will leave Tasiilaq (Ammassalik) on Greenland’s east coast. Negotiating polar bears, we’ll climb 2000m up glaciated terrain to the icecap. Then heading North West we’ll haul our sleds across the freezing, magical world of Greenland’s icecap on skis and utilizing kites when winds allow. We will be just north of the Arctic circle for our journey across the icecap and therefore will have close to 24 hour daylight but by August when we begin the sun will dip beneath the horizon for a few hours. After 700km we will negotiate the complex glacier terrain as the icecap falls to the west coast and the small town of Ilulissat. Once at the coast our expedition will become one-of-a-kind, by adding 600km of sea kayaking (traditional Inuit mode of transport), travelling the frigid ocean and dangerous moving pack ice south along the coast to the capital city of Nuuk. Check out the map.
the HISTORY
Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat, the Greenlanders’ Land) is the world’s largest island. The name "Greenland" comes from Scandinavian settlers. In Norse history, it is said that Erik the Red was exiled from Iceland for murder. He, along with his extended family, set out in ships to find the land that was rumored to be to the northwest. After settling there, he named the land Grønland ("Greenland"), possibly in order to attract more people to settle there. Greenland was also called Gruntland ("Ground-land") on early maps. Green is perhaps an erroneous transcription of Grunt ("Ground"), which refers to shallow bays of which there are plenty. The southern portion of Greenland (not covered by glacier) is very green in summer, and was likely even greener in Erik's time because of the medieval warm period.
Greenland geographically belongs to North America. It’s national flower, Niviarsiaq, which means ‘young woman’ is common in North America. The majority of plant species however originate from Europe.
the ICECAP
Mostly Greenland is famous for its ice cap that people see when flying from Nth America to the UK. The ice’s total area of 1.8 million km (695,000 square miles) corresponds to 14 times the size of England. The ice-free area amounts to 350,000 km (135,000 square miles) – equivalent to the area of Germany. The ice cap is more than 3,200 meters (10,500 feet) thick at its highest point where we will ski.
The ice contains 10 per cent of the world’s reserves of fresh water.
Greenland’s ice sheet is melting today far more rapidly than at the turn of the millennium and is one of the most radical manifestations of global warming visible on the planet. Greenland is in a negative flux; every year the ice is losing more mass than is being created. If the entire ice sheet melted, the world’s oceans would rise by approx. 6-7 meters (20-23 feet).
the PEOPLE & CULTURE
Greenland was home to a number of paleo-eskimo cultures. The latest of which (the early Dorset culture) disappeared around the year 200 AD. Hereafter, the island seems to have been uninhabited for some eight centuries.
Icelandic settlers led by Erik the Red found the land uninhabited when they arrived in 982AD. Around 984 they established the eastern and western settlements in deep fiords near the very southwestern tip of the island, where they thrived for the next few centuries, and then disappeared after more than 450 years of habitation possibly due to famine during the 15th century in the little ice age, when climatic conditions deteriorated.
Eskimo (a derogatory name meaning ‘eaters of raw meat’) or Inuit peoples migrated southwards from the Arctic islands of North America around 1200 and set up mostly in the north.
SOVEREIGNTY
Greenland had a very complex sovereignty history and had been a protected and thereby very isolated society until 1940. The Danish government, which governed the colonies of Greenland, had been convinced that the society would face exploitation from the outside world or even extinction if the country was opened up. During World War II Greenland developed a sense of self-reliance during its period of self-government and independent communication with the outside world.
In 1946 a commission with the highest Greenlandic council Lansradet as participant recommended no radical reformation of the system. Two years later the first step towards an alteration of the governing of Greenland was initiated. In 1950 the G-50 report was presented. Greenland was to be a modern welfare society with Denmark as the sponsor and example. In 1953, Greenland was made an equal part of the Danish Kingdom; home rule was granted in 1979.
the WILDLIFE
Like humans, land mammals immigrated from Canada and Alaska several thousand years ago. Both land and sea mammals have always been an important resource for Greenlanders. The animals have played a key role for their means of existence and in terms of their philosophy of life. The world’s largest island contains a wealth of fascinating species of animal that have all adapted to the Arctic climate both on land and in the water.
The polar bear is the biggest predator and perhaps the essence of the term wildlife. The white polar bear adorns Greenland’s national coat of arms. Polar bears hunt on the sea ice and their favorite food is the Ringed seal. They have an incredible sense of smell and can zero in on a Ringed seal from kilometres away. Bears are one of the species most threatened by global warming. If the is no sea ice – there is no food for these massive carnivores.
Greenland is also home to other distinctive ‘Arctic icons’ such as the musk ox, narwhal and the walrus. Wolves, arctic foxes, mountain hares and other small land mammals are also present. Around 60 species of birds breed in Greenland.
Marine mammals are common in the summer months and are a crucial part of the culture and economy. Fin whales, humpback whales and minke whales are most common and a hunting quota exists for these species. Bowhead, blue and sperm whales also frequent Greenlandic waters.
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