Nansen Island (Kara Sea)
Encyclopedia
Nansen Island is a long and narrow island in the coast of the Kara Sea
. Its length is 21 km (13 mi) and its average width about 2.5 km (1.6 mi). This island is located in an area of skerries right off the western coast of the Taymyr Peninsula
. The narrow strait between Nansen island and the Siberian coast (Fram Strait) is about 2.5 km (1.6 mi) wide on average.
The shores of Nansen Island and some of its larger neighboring islands, like Taymyra
, Bonevi and Pilota Makhotkina, are deeply indented, with many crooked inlets. The sounds between this island and neighboring islands are also somewhat labyrinthic. Geologically all these coastal islands are a continuation of the Nordenskiöld Archipelago
which lies further north. And sometimes Nansen Island is considered a part of it. Ostrov Vkhodnoy is a 0.75 km (0.466029552487355 mi) long islet located off Nansena's western end.
The sea surrounding Nansen Island is covered with pack ice
with some polynias during the long and bitter winters and there are many ice floes
even in the summer.
Nansen Island belongs to the Krasnoyarsk Krai
administrative division of Russia
and is part of the Great Arctic State Nature Reserve
– the largest nature reserve of Russia and one of the biggest in the world.
’s fateful last expedition, the winter quarters for Toll's ship Zarya
were set at Nablyudeniy Island and a scientific station was built there. This is a small granite island southeast of Nansen Island, located in a bay that Baron Toll named Bukhta Kolin Archera.
During WW2 there was much military activity near Nansen Island, especially during Operation Wunderland
.
In some maps Nansen Island is named simply as Nansena. This island should not be confused with another Russian island called Nansen Island
, which is part of Franz Josef Land
, in the Arctic Ocean
. Both islands are named in the honor and memory of Arctic explorer Fridtjof Nansen
.
Kara Sea
The Kara Sea is part of the Arctic Ocean north of Siberia. It is separated from the Barents Sea to the west by the Kara Strait and Novaya Zemlya, and the Laptev Sea to the east by the Severnaya Zemlya....
. Its length is 21 km (13 mi) and its average width about 2.5 km (1.6 mi). This island is located in an area of skerries right off the western coast of the Taymyr Peninsula
Taymyr Peninsula
The Taymyr Peninsula is a peninsula in the Far North of Russia, in the Siberian Federal District, that forms the northernmost part of mainland Eurasia and Asia...
. The narrow strait between Nansen island and the Siberian coast (Fram Strait) is about 2.5 km (1.6 mi) wide on average.
The shores of Nansen Island and some of its larger neighboring islands, like Taymyra
Taymyr Island
Taymyr Island, Russian: Остров Таймыр , is a large island in the coast of the Kara Sea. Its length is and its average width about . This island is located west of the Taymyr Gulf in an area of skerries right off the western coast of the Taymyr Peninsula...
, Bonevi and Pilota Makhotkina, are deeply indented, with many crooked inlets. The sounds between this island and neighboring islands are also somewhat labyrinthic. Geologically all these coastal islands are a continuation of the Nordenskiöld Archipelago
Nordenskiöld Archipelago
The Nordenskiöld Archipelago or Nordenskjold Archipelago is a very large and complex cluster of islands in the eastern region of the Kara Sea. Its eastern limit lies west of the Taymyr Peninsula....
which lies further north. And sometimes Nansen Island is considered a part of it. Ostrov Vkhodnoy is a 0.75 km (0.466029552487355 mi) long islet located off Nansena's western end.
The sea surrounding Nansen Island is covered with pack ice
Drift ice
Drift ice is ice that floats on the surface of the water in cold regions, as opposed to fast ice, which is attached to a shore. Usually drift ice is carried along by winds and sea currents, hence its name, "drift ice"....
with some polynias during the long and bitter winters and there are many ice floes
Sea ice
Sea ice is largely formed from seawater that freezes. Because the oceans consist of saltwater, this occurs below the freezing point of pure water, at about -1.8 °C ....
even in the summer.
Nansen Island belongs to the Krasnoyarsk Krai
Krasnoyarsk Krai
Krasnoyarsk Krai is a federal subject of Russia . It is the second largest federal subject after the Sakha Republic, and Russia's largest krai, occupying an area of , which is 13% of the country's total territory. The administrative center of the krai is the city of Krasnoyarsk...
administrative division of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and is part of the Great Arctic State Nature Reserve
Great Arctic State Nature Reserve
The Great Arctic State Nature Reserve is a nature reserve in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia...
– the largest nature reserve of Russia and one of the biggest in the world.
History
In October 1900, during Baron Eduard von TollEduard Toll
Eduard Gustav von Toll was a Baltic German geologist and Arctic explorer in Russian service. Often referred to as Baron von Toll or as Eduard v. Toll, in Russia he is known as Eduard Vasiliyevich Toll . Eduard Toll was born on and he died in 1902 in an unknown location in the Arctic Ocean)...
’s fateful last expedition, the winter quarters for Toll's ship Zarya
Zarya (polar ship)
Zarya was a steam- and sail-powered brig used by the Russian Academy of Sciences for a polar exploration during 1900–1903.Toward the end of the 19th century, the Russian Academy of Sciences sought to build a general-purpose research vessel for long-term expeditions. The first such Russian...
were set at Nablyudeniy Island and a scientific station was built there. This is a small granite island southeast of Nansen Island, located in a bay that Baron Toll named Bukhta Kolin Archera.
During WW2 there was much military activity near Nansen Island, especially during Operation Wunderland
Operation Wunderland
Operation Wunderland was a large-scale operation undertaken in summer 1942 by the Kriegsmarine during World War II in the waters of the Northern Sea Route close to the Arctic Ocean...
.
In some maps Nansen Island is named simply as Nansena. This island should not be confused with another Russian island called Nansen Island
Nansen Island (Franz Josef Land)
Nansena Island is an island in Franz Josef Land, Russia. The island is partly glaciated and its area is . The highest point of the island is ....
, which is part of Franz Josef Land
Franz Josef Land
Franz Josef Land, Franz Joseph Land, or Francis Joseph's Land is an archipelago located in the far north of Russia. It is found in the Arctic Ocean north of Novaya Zemlya and east of Svalbard, and is administered by Arkhangelsk Oblast. Franz Josef Land consists of 191 ice-covered islands with a...
, in the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
. Both islands are named in the honor and memory of Arctic explorer Fridtjof Nansen
Fridtjof Nansen
Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen was a Norwegian explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. In his youth a champion skier and ice skater, he led the team that made the first crossing of the Greenland interior in 1888, and won international fame after reaching a...
.
External links
- Location
- William BarrWilliam Barr (Arctic historian)William Barr is a Scottish historian now resident of Calgary, Canada, with a specific interest in the history of exploration of the Arctic, and to a lesser degree, the Antarctic. He holds degrees in Geography from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland and McGill University, Québec, Canada...
, Baron Eduard von Toll’s Last Expedition, 1900-1903. - Taymyr Island and adjacent islands
- Nature Reserve
- Nansen's explorations
- http://militera.lib.ru/memo/russian/papanin_id/16.html and WW2 events near Nansen Island