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Ilulissat Icefjord.Author Greenland Travel.

Top 10 Intriguing Facts about Ilulissat Icefjord

Ilulissat Icefjord is a fjord in western Greenland. Located 250 km north of the Arctic Circle. The Ilulissat Icefjord runs west 40 km from the Greenland ice sheet to Disko Bay just south of Ilulissat town.

Ilulissat Icefjord was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004. This is because of its natural beauty and the importance of the fast-moving Jakobshavn Glacier. Moreover,  in developing the current scientific understanding of anthropogenic climate change.

Let’s learn more about the Ilulissat icefjord

1. It contains the jakobshavn Glacier

The fjord contains the Jakobshavn Glacier. Which is the most productive glacier in the Northern Hemisphere. The glacier flows at a rate of 20–35 m (66–115 ft) per day, stemming in around 20 billion tonnes of icebergs calved off and passing out of the fjord every year.

Icebergs breaking from the glacier are often so large, up to a kilometre (3,300 ft) in elevation. They are too tall to float down the fjord and lie stuck on the bottom of its shallower areas, sometimes for years. This is until they are broken up by the force of the glacier and icebergs further up the fjord.

On breaking up the icebergs emerge into the open sea and initially travel north with ocean currents before turning south and running into the Atlantic Ocean. Larger icebergs generally do not melt until they reach 40-45 degrees north —further south than the United Kingdom and level with New York City.

2. It was declared a UNESCO world heritage site

A blue iceberg was spotted from the air on the 10th of June 2015 in the Ilulissat icefjord, Greenland.  Author Marcus Engdahl.

In 2004 Ilulissat Icefjord was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was declared UNESCO because of its natural beauty. Moreover, the importance of the fast-moving Jakobshavn Glacier in developing the current scientific perception of anthropogenic climate change.

3. It is a Considerable Example of a Stage in the Earth’s History

The Ilulissat Icefjord is an extraordinary example of a stage in the Earth’s history. the last ice age of the Quaternary Period.

 The ice stream is one of the fastest (40 m per day) and most active in the world. It’s annual calving of over 46 km3 of ice accounts for 10% of the production of all Greenland calf ice, more than any other glacier outside Antarctica.

 The glacier has been the object of scientific attention for 250 years. it has significantly added to the understanding of ice-cap glaciology, climate change and related geomorphic processes.

4. How to Explore the Ilulissat Icefjord

Sailing between the icebergs in Ilulissat Icefjord, Greenland. Author Vincent van Zeijst.

One can explore by land where 3 well-marked hiking trails take you from the outskirts of Ilulissat to the Icefjord. One of them (part of the blue trail) is a promenade that has been built to enable accessibility.

The comprehensive Blue trail turns inland to follow the Icefjord for a few km. This is before heading back towards Ilulissat past shallow lakes that are typical of the Arctic tundra.

 The Yellow trail follows the headland at the mouth of Kangia and returns to Ilulissat along the shores of Disko Bay. All three offer amazing views of the Icefjord from land.

There are many boat tours on offer from Ilulissat including midnight cruises. Specific whale-watching tours pursue the large numbers of whales that feed in the nutrient-rich waters at the edges of the Icefjord during the Summer.

Using air, Scenic flights are the best way to get an overview of the topography of the Icefjord region. They are also the only way to see the actual face of the Sermeq Kujalleq Glacier.

5. It is One of the Fastest and Most Productive Ice Streams in the World

The Ilulissat Icefjord is an excellent example of an energetically calving ice sheet. It is one of the fastest and most productive ice streams in the world.

Moving at 19 meters a day and annually calving over 35 cubic kilometres of ice: 10% of the calf ice of Greenland’s ice-cap – more than any other glacier outside Antarctica.

 The wild assortment of ice, rock and sea, with the spectacular sounds produced by the moving ice, is a remarkable event. The glacier is relatively easy to reach and has been well studied for 250 years.

6. The History of Ilulissat Icefjord Attracts a Recommendable Number of Visitors

Ilulissat Icefjord. Author Jens Bludau.

The sight, Inuit culture and history attract a third of all Greenland’s visitors to the Ilulissat and Disko areas. Nevertheless, it is the icefjord that is the main attraction.

The government prevented tourism until the mid-century. It has only been actively promoted since 1992. In 1998 Ilulissat was established by the Greenlandic Board of Tourism as the centre for development in Greenland.

Visitor establishments are enhanced, although they remain moderately confined. Access is by air, ferry and cruise ship (each carrying between 20 and 500 passengers).

In 2000 a valued 10,660 tourists visited Ilulissat (34% of all visitors to Greenland) but numbers climbed with World Heritage status. In 2001 only 18 excursion ships were called, but in 2005,235 ships arrived. By 2008 12,000 tourists visited the area, chiefly on cruise ships (IUCN, 2008).

7. Scientific Research has Made a Significant Impact on the Site 

Ilulissat Icefjord, near Ilulissat. Author Jan Kronsell.

Scientific research over 250 years has made Ilulissat Icefjord and its surroundings one of the best-investigated ice streams in the world. A considerable and distinct set of glaciological records and many scientific editions have been written about the site.

 From the relatively ice-free mid-18th century onwards, the Icefjord interested many scholars, including Rink, Nordenskjiold, Hammer, Peary and Wegener, who noted its instabilities over the years. The study, especially over the last 10-20 years using aerial photography, core drilling, deep radar sounding and satellite monitoring, has been intensive. S

much research has enlarged our understanding of ice-stream dynamics, glacial erosion and affidavit. Furthermore, Quaternary geology and prehistoric climates through the examination of ice cores.

8. Ilulissat ice fjords Conservation Value

The Ilulissat Icefjord is an outstanding example of an actively calving ice sheet. It demonstrates glacial situations characteristic of the last Ice Age of the Quaternary.

The ice stream is the fastest and most productive in the northern hemisphere. Moreover, more than any other glacier outside Antarctica.

Its other unusual characteristic is the intensive erosion by the ice stream.  The world’s outstanding example of a large-scale fjord-forming process. The wild and dramatic assortment of rock, ice and sea in the ice-choked fjord, with the sounds of moving ice, is a remarkable procession.

 The glacier is also unusually well studied and, being relatively vulnerable, has added much to the understanding of ice-cap glaciology. It is designated a WWF Global 200 Freshwater Eco-region.

9. Ilulissat Icefjord Climate Change

Icefjord Ilulissat. Author Petr Kraumann.

Ilulissat Icefjord is located 250 km above the Arctic Circle and has sunless winters and nightless summers only two to three months long. The July mean temperature is 7.5°C, and the maximum is 10.3°C; the March mean is -19.9°C.

Rainfall averages only 266mm, mostly in August and September. A constant high-pressure system exists over the Greenland icecap.

10. It Geographical Location

Ilulissat Icefjord has located 250 km within the Arctic Circle approximately 1,000 km up the west coast of Greenland in the bay of Disko Bugt. The geographic coordinates of the site are 68° 48’N to 69° 31’N and 48° 28’ to 51°16’W.