Bye Bye Greenland
Published on 17.07.2010 - General Info
The final two expeditions that were still out on the Greenland icecap have now returned home. See you all next year for more crossings.
Sebastian Copeland completed his expedition with a few interesting reflections on climate change and its visible effects in the various regions of the high Arctic. At Disko Bay he was able to observe a famous fjord as well as Greenland’s best-known glacier. It’s a particularly active glacier, too; in 2001, for example, it was moving at a rate of 20 metres a day, whereas three years later, it was advancing towards the open water at 40 metres a day...
Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about this glacier:
"This glacier is one of the largest sources of icebergs in the northern hemisphere. In fact it is melting at an average rate of 20 to 35 metres a day. The result is an annual production of 20 billion tons of icebergs (which is equivalent to the amount of fresh water consumed annually in France), some of which are over 1 000 m high. These icebergs are so big that they can become stuck for years in the fjord before being released and drifting towards the ocean.
This glacier is world heritage-listed by UNESCO. The site is ideal for learning about the way glaciers melt and observing global warming. Numerous glaciologists and climatologists are keeping a close eye on the glacier. Part of the action in the latest novel by David Gibbins, Crusader Gold, is set on the Ilulissat glacier."
Extracts from Sebastian’s blog in the form of an epilogue to his expedition:
"... Changes happen here at rates two to three times those of the rest of the word. It is a local fact of life: everyone here is keenly aware of it, and will discuss it openly with grave concern; from Inuit hunters and fishermen to the local tourist operators. It is the trait of an unfortunate partisan mentality but to hear naysayers back home militantly claim for this to be a hoax. This is not a matter of opinion--it is a condition. To reject it is like claiming that cancer is not a sickness: you can say that, but it won't make it go away...
On our first night here, I hiked to the mouth of the glacier. It was late, and I was tired. But again, the conditions were where I like them for shooting ice: overcast, with high, heavy clouds. Not sure if I would score these again, I took off after dinner and walked through the night. (Though strong wind disturbed the water surface, I was right at least with the weather: it has been clear and sunny since). Though about a thousand kilometers south of Qaanaaq, Ilulissat is still two hundred kilometers inside the arctic circle, and definitely on twenty four hour daylight. ..."
The Finns: 65 days on the ice
The pair finally reached sea level (45 km from Quaanaaq) on 26th June, 65 days after setting out from Narsaq. They returned home on 6th July.
A taste of the atmosphere of the expedition’s final days:
"As a whole on Wednesday we did 175 kilometers. By that time we started to approach the Qaanaaq area and after the 77th latitude the terrain turned into a fairyland. On a velvet-like snow we experienced the greatest kiting moments of the entire expedition. The last full kiting day started in the night between Thursday June the 24th and Friday June the 25th at 2 a.m. We were speeding further north and when we reached the 78th latitude we turned west. On Friday morning we saw the first rim mountains and the feeling was great. Finally something else than just snow and ice. The wind started to die out in the evening and after 16 hours and 220 kilometers of kiting we were about 30 kilometers from the edge of the glacier. During the night between Saturday and Sunday we still continued another 4 kilometers until melt waters and bad crevasses stopped our progress. It looked that we were totally blocked from every direction."
