Ikerasak Fjord
Encyclopedia
Ikerasak Fjord is a fjord in the Qaasuitsup
municipality in northwestern Greenland
.
at the base of Nuussuaq Peninsula
. The fjord has one tributary fjord in the north, Qaraassap Imaa, emptying into it at approximately 70°22′45"N 51°00′00"W, between Qaraasap Nunataa headland in the southeast and Drygalski Peninsula in the northwest.
. It is one of the fastest moving glaciers in the world, moving at 5.7 km (3.5 mi) km per year. Lille Gletscher is another glacial tongue, emptying into Qaraasaap Imaa.
of the river on the shore of the fjord, leading south through the only unglaciated part of the inner mountain range on the peninsula.
is the only settlement in the fjord, located on a oval-shaped Ikerasak Island
in its northwestern part, where the fjord widens into the inner part of Uummannaq Fjord. Seasonal settlement on the shores of Nuussuaq Peninsula has been abandoned.
. Ikerasak Heliport
served by Air Greenland
is the only aerodrome in the area, with connections to Uummannaq and Saattut
.
Qaasuitsup
Qaasuitsup is a new municipality in Greenland, operational from 1 January 2009. As of January 2010 its population is 17,749. The administrative center of the municipality is in Ilulissat...
municipality in northwestern Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located 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...
.
Geography
The fjord constitutes the innermost part of the Uummannaq FjordUummannaq Fjord
Uummannaq Fjord is a large fjord system in the northern part of western Greenland, the largest after Kangertittivaq fjord in eastern Greenland...
at the base of Nuussuaq Peninsula
Nuussuaq Peninsula
Nuussuaq Peninsula is a large peninsula in western Greenland.- Geography :The waters around the peninsula are that of Baffin Bay. To the south and southwest the peninsula is bounded by Disko Bay, an inlet of Baffin Bay. It is separated from Qeqertarsuaq Island by Sullorsuaq Strait which...
. The fjord has one tributary fjord in the north, Qaraassap Imaa, emptying into it at approximately 70°22′45"N 51°00′00"W, between Qaraasap Nunataa headland in the southeast and Drygalski Peninsula in the northwest.
Glaciers
The fjord is filled with ice calved off from the active Store Gletscher, which empties into the fjord at its innermost end, and which flows from the Greenland ice sheetGreenland ice sheet
The Greenland ice sheet is a vast body of ice covering , roughly 80% of the surface of Greenland. It is the second largest ice body in the world, after the Antarctic Ice Sheet. The ice sheet is almost long in a north-south direction, and its greatest width is at a latitude of 77°N, near its...
. It is one of the fastest moving glaciers in the world, moving at 5.7 km (3.5 mi) km per year. Lille Gletscher is another glacial tongue, emptying into Qaraasaap Imaa.
Tributary rivers
In the south, several rivers flow from Nuussuaq Peninsula into Ikerasak Fjord, the larger being Puiaqtukassaup Kuua and Kuussuaq. The valley of Kuussuaq is used for mountain trails traversing the peninsula. The trail begins at Kuussuup Nuua at the estuaryEstuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
of the river on the shore of the fjord, leading south through the only unglaciated part of the inner mountain range on the peninsula.
Settlement
IkerasakIkerasak
Ikerasak is a village in the Qaasuitsup municipality in western Greenland. It had 238 inhabitants in 2010.- Geography :Ikerasak is located approximately 45 km southeast from Uummannaq, at the southeastern end of Ikerasak Island in the northwestern part of Ikerasak Fjord, where it widens into...
is the only settlement in the fjord, located on a oval-shaped Ikerasak Island
Ikerasak Island
Ikerasak Island is an island in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland, located in the southeastern part of Uummannaq Fjord, at the mouth of Ikerasak Fjord, its innermost section.- Geography :...
in its northwestern part, where the fjord widens into the inner part of Uummannaq Fjord. Seasonal settlement on the shores of Nuussuaq Peninsula has been abandoned.
Transport
The fjord can be reached by boat, either individually chartered from Ikerasak, or as part of the organized glacier sightseeing tour from UummannaqUummannaq
Uummannaq is a town in the Qaasuitsup municipality, in northwestern Greenland. With 1,299 inhabitants as of 2010, it is the eleventh-largest town in Greenland, and is home to the country's most northerly ferry terminal...
. Ikerasak Heliport
Ikerasak Heliport
Ikerasak Heliport is a heliport in Ikerasak, a village on an island of the same name in the Uummannaq Fjord system in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland...
served by Air Greenland
Air Greenland
Air Greenland A/S is the flag carrier airline of Greenland, jointly owned by the government of Greenland, the SAS Group, and the government of Denmark...
is the only aerodrome in the area, with connections to Uummannaq and Saattut
Saattut
Saattut is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality, in northwestern Greenland, Located on a small Saattut Island, southeast of Appat Island and northeast of Uummannaq in the Uummannaq Fjord system, the settlement had 212 inhabitants in 2010.- Transport :Air Greenland serves the village as part...
.