Inussulik Bay
Encyclopedia
Inussulik Bay is a bay
in the Upernavik Archipelago
in the Qaasuitsup
municipality in northwestern Greenland
.
in the north and Nuussuaq Peninsula
in the south. It is an arch-shaped indentiation of Baffin Bay
, sometimes included as part of Melville Bay
, although commonly the southern limit of latter is defined as Wilcox Head
, the western cape of Kiatassuaq Island.
At its widest − from the Wilcox Head promontory on Kiatassuaq Island to the Tinumanersuaq cape on Nuussuaq Peninsula − Inussulik Bay stretches for 43.12 km (26.8 mi). The length of the bay reaches its maximum of 40.6 km (25.2 mi) at the point where the Greenland ice sheet
drains into the bay via the Illullip Sermia
glacier.
in the south, Inussulik Bay has few islands. There are only five small islands, all uninhabited, as well as several skerries
in the eastern part.
The main island is the 6.3 by 1.9 km (3.9 by 1.2 mi) Inussullissuaq Island
in the north. In 1930 the island briefly served as a polar station for Knud Rasmussen, the Greenlandic polar
explorer
and anthropologist
. The station was named Bjørne Borg (or Bjørneborg, a bear castle). Its ruins can still be found on the island.
The other islands are Inussulik immediately to the west of Inussullissuaq Island, Qeqertarsuaq immediately to the east, Ikermiut Island
in the center of the bay, and Illoorfik Island
near the coast of Nuussuaq Peninsula.
and Illulissuaq Peninsula
, bracing the small inlet at the far end of the bay from the north and south, respectively. The farthest inlet of the bay is choked with iceberg
s calving off the Illullip Sermia glacier.
is the main inlet of Inussulik Bay in the south; one of several of that name in Greenland. It separates the Illulissuaq Peninsula in the north from the main arm of Nuussuaq Peninsula in the south; with both peninsulas sharing the root, a nunatak
on the edge of the icesheet.
In the northeast, Ikerasaa Strait
separates Sanningassorsuaq Peninsula from Kiatassuaq Island and the small Milissua Island, connecting through a small channel to the Alison Bay
in the north.
in the north, and Nuussuaq
in the south. The bay is used as an inner waterway linking the settlements, offering partial shelter from the open waters of Baffin Bay for fishermen and hunters.
Bay
A bay is an area of water mostly surrounded by land. Bays generally have calmer waters than the surrounding sea, due to the surrounding land blocking some waves and often reducing winds. Bays also exist as an inlet in a lake or pond. A large bay may be called a gulf, a sea, a sound, or a bight...
in the Upernavik Archipelago
Upernavik Archipelago
Upernavik Archipelago is a vast archipelago of small islands in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland, on the coast of northeastern Baffin Bay...
in the Qaasuitsup
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 bay is located in the northern part of Upernavik Archipelago, between Kiatassuaq IslandKiatassuaq Island
Kiatassuaq Island is an uninhabited island in the Melville Bay region of the Upernavik Archipelago in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland.- History :...
in the north and Nuussuaq Peninsula
Nuussuaq Peninsula (Upernavik Archipelago)
Nuussuaq Peninsula is a mainland peninsula in northwestern Greenland, located at the northern end of Upernavik Archipelago, approximately to the south of Melville Bay...
in the south. It is an arch-shaped indentiation of Baffin Bay
Baffin Bay
Baffin Bay , located between Baffin Island and the southwest coast of Greenland, is a marginal sea of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is connected to the Atlantic via Davis Strait and the Labrador Sea...
, sometimes included as part of Melville Bay
Melville Bay
Melville Bay , is a large bay off the coast of northwestern Greenland. Located to the north of the Upernavik Archipelago, it opens to the south-west into Baffin Bay. Its Kalaallisut name, Qimusseriarsuaq, means "the great dog sledding place"....
, although commonly the southern limit of latter is defined as Wilcox Head
Wilcox Head
Wilcox Head is a cape in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland.- Geography :The cape is the western promontory on Kiatassuaq Island, delimiting the southern end of Melville Bay, with the other end defined as Cape York, to the northwest, in northern Baffin Bay. An alternative...
, the western cape of Kiatassuaq Island.
At its widest − from the Wilcox Head promontory on Kiatassuaq Island to the Tinumanersuaq cape on Nuussuaq Peninsula − Inussulik Bay stretches for 43.12 km (26.8 mi). The length of the bay reaches its maximum of 40.6 km (25.2 mi) at the point where the Greenland ice sheet
Greenland 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...
drains into the bay via the Illullip Sermia
Illullip Sermia
Illullip Sermia is a tidewater glacier in the Qaasuitsup municipality on the northwestern shore of Greenland. It drains the Greenland ice sheet southwestwards into Inussulik Bay, an inlet of Baffin Bay. The glacier front is located between the Sanningassorsuaq Peninsula in the north, and the base...
glacier.
Islands
Kiatassuaq Island is the largest island in the bay, forming its northern boundary. Unlike the neighboring Melville Bay in the north and Sugar Loaf BaySugar Loaf Bay
Sugar Loaf Bay is a bay in the Upernavik Archipelago in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. It is an indentiation of northeastern Baffin Bay...
in the south, Inussulik Bay has few islands. There are only five small islands, all uninhabited, as well as several skerries
Skerry
A skerry is a small rocky island, usually defined to be too small for habitation. It may simply be a rocky reef. A skerry can also be called a low sea stack....
in the eastern part.
The main island is the 6.3 by 1.9 km (3.9 by 1.2 mi) Inussullissuaq Island
Inussullissuaq Island
Inussulissuaq Island is a small uninhabited island in the Melville Bay region of the Upernavik Archipelago in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland...
in the north. In 1930 the island briefly served as a polar station for Knud Rasmussen, the Greenlandic polar
Polar region
Earth's polar regions are the areas of the globe surrounding the poles also known as frigid zones. The North Pole and South Pole being the centers, these regions are dominated by the polar ice caps, resting respectively on the Arctic Ocean and the continent of Antarctica...
explorer
Exploration
Exploration is the act of searching or traveling around a terrain for the purpose of discovery of resources or information. Exploration occurs in all non-sessile animal species, including humans...
and anthropologist
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
. The station was named Bjørne Borg (or Bjørneborg, a bear castle). Its ruins can still be found on the island.
The other islands are Inussulik immediately to the west of Inussullissuaq Island, Qeqertarsuaq immediately to the east, Ikermiut Island
Ikermiut Island
Ikermiut Island is a small, uninhabited island in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland, located in the center of Inussulik Bay in the northern part of Upernavik Archipelago, approximately halfway between Kiatassuaq Island in the north and Nuussuaq Peninsula in the south.- History...
in the center of the bay, and Illoorfik Island
Illoorfik Island
Illoorfik Island is a small, uninhabited island in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. The island is a single flooded mountain of .- Geography :...
near the coast of Nuussuaq Peninsula.
Peninsulas
Nuussuaq Peninsula defines the southern and southeastern limit of Inussulik Bay. Two other peninsulas of mainland Greenland extend into the bay: Sanningassorsuaq PeninsulaSanningassorsuaq Peninsula
Sanningassorsuaq Peninsula is a mainland peninsula in northwestern Greenland, located at the northern end of Upernavik Archipelago.- Geography :The Sanningassorsuaq Peninsula is long, and wide...
and Illulissuaq Peninsula
Illulissuaq Peninsula
Illulissuaq Peninsula is a mainland peninsula in northwestern Greenland, located in the northern part of Upernavik Archipelago- History :...
, bracing the small inlet at the far end of the bay from the north and south, respectively. The farthest inlet of the bay is choked with iceberg
Iceberg
An iceberg is a large piece of ice from freshwater that has broken off from a snow-formed glacier or ice shelf and is floating in open water. It may subsequently become frozen into pack ice...
s calving off the Illullip Sermia glacier.
Waterways
Kangerluarsuk FjordKangerluarsuk Fjord
Kangerluarsuk Fjord is a fjord in northwestern Greenland, located at the northern end of Upernavik Archipelago.- Geography :...
is the main inlet of Inussulik Bay in the south; one of several of that name in Greenland. It separates the Illulissuaq Peninsula in the north from the main arm of Nuussuaq Peninsula in the south; with both peninsulas sharing the root, a nunatak
Nunatak
A nunatak is an exposed, often rocky element of a ridge, mountain, or peak not covered with ice or snow within an ice field or glacier. The term is typically used in areas where a permanent ice sheet is present...
on the edge of the icesheet.
In the northeast, Ikerasaa Strait
Ikerasaa Strait
Ikerasaa Strait is a strait in the Upernavik Archipelago in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. The strait separates Kiatassuaq Island in the north from the mainland Sanningassorsuaq Peninsula in the south...
separates Sanningassorsuaq Peninsula from Kiatassuaq Island and the small Milissua Island, connecting through a small channel to the Alison Bay
Alison Bay
Alison Bay is a bay in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. The bay is a tributary bay of Melville Bay, and is located in the northern part of Upernavik Archipelago, between Kiatassuaq Island in the southwest and the mainland of Greenland in the northeast.- Geography :Alison bay...
in the north.
Settlement
The coasts and islands of Inussulik Bay are uninhabited. The closest settlements are KullorsuaqKullorsuaq
Kullorsuaq is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. It is the northernmost settlement in the Upernavik Archipelago, located on Kullorsuaq Island, at the southern end of Melville Bay, an indentiation of Baffin Bay.The settlement was founded in 1928, and became a...
in the north, and Nuussuaq
Nuussuaq
Nuussuaq is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. It is the only mainland settlement in the Upernavik Archipelago, located near the western tip of the Nuussuaq Peninsula, on the northern coast of Sugar Loaf Bay, an indentiation of Baffin Bay.The settlement was...
in the south. The bay is used as an inner waterway linking the settlements, offering partial shelter from the open waters of Baffin Bay for fishermen and hunters.