Sermilik Fjord
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Sermilik () is a fjord in eastern
Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...
. It is part of the
Sermersooq Sermersooq () is a municipality in Greenland, formed on 1 January 2009 from five previous, smaller municipalities. Its administrative seat is the city of Nuuk (formerly called Godthåb), the capital of Greenland, and it is the most populous ...
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...
. The settlement of
Tasiilaq Tasiilaq, formerly Ammassalik or Angmagssalik ( Danish names: Kong Oscars Havn or simply Oscarshavn), is a town on Ammassalik Island in southeastern Greenland, within the municipality of Sermersooq. With 1,985 inhabitants as of 2020, it is th ...
is located about 15 km to the east of the mouth of the fjord.


Geography

This fjord, whose Greenlandic name 'Sermilik' means 'place with glaciers' is located at the southern end of
King Christian IX Land King Christian IX Land () is a coastal area of Southeastern Greenland in Sermersooq Municipality fronting the Denmark Strait and extending through the Arctic Circle from 65°N to 70°N. History This area was named in September 1884 by Gustav ...
, west of
Ammassalik Fjord Ammassalik Fjord (old spelling: ''Angmagssalik Fjord'') is a long fjord in the Sermersooq municipality in southeastern Greenland. Geography The head of the fjord at is formed by the confluence of two narrow, tributary fjords: ''Qingertiva ...
. It is one of the largest fjords in the southeastern coast of Greenland. Its waters are fed by the Helheim Glacier,
Fenris Glacier Fenris Glacier () is a glacier in the Sermersooq municipality, Eastern Greenland. This glacier is named after Fenris (Fenrir), the mighty wolf of Norse mythology. Geography The Fenris Glacier is located on the eastern side of the Greenland ice s ...
and
Midgard Glacier Midgard Glacier () is a glacier in the Sermersooq municipality, Eastern Greenland. This glacier is named after Midgard, one of the Nine Worlds in Norse mythology. Geography The Midgard Glacier is located on the eastern side of the Greenland ice ...
among others. The fjord stretches inland in a roughly northern direction and splits into two branches at its head —at the southern limit of
Schweizerland Schweizerland, also known as Schweizerland Alps, is a mountain range in King Christian IX Land, eastern Greenland. Administratively this range is part of the Sermersooq Municipality.Google Earth Its highest point is one of the highest peaks in G ...
, the western one being the Helheim Fjord and the right one the Ningerti. Sermilik's mouth is located between Kitak Island and Cape Tycho Brahe in the
Denmark Strait The Denmark Strait is the strait that separates Greenland from Iceland. Geography The strait connects the Greenland Sea, an extension of the Arctic Ocean, to the Irminger Sea, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is long. The narrowest part o ...
area of the Atlantic Ocean. Kangersivartikajik is the next fjord to the east along the coast. Near the fjord's entrance on the western side there is the island of Qeertartivatsiaq at the mouth of Johan Petersen Fjord and its eastern branch, the Stoklund Fjord. Sermilik is surrounded by jagged mountainous landscape and its coast is mostly very irregular and steep.''Prostar Sailing Directions 2005 Greenland and Iceland Enroute'', p. 104


History

Initially
Fridtjof Nansen Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen (; 10 October 1861 – 13 May 1930) was a Norwegian polymath and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He gained prominence at various points in his life as an explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and co-founded the ...
had thought that Sermilik would offer a route up to reach the
ice cap In glaciology, an ice cap is a mass of ice that covers less than of land area (usually covering a highland area). Larger ice masses covering more than are termed ice sheets. Description By definition, ice caps are not constrained by topogra ...
for his projected westward overland crossing. On 3 June 1888 Nansen's party was picked up from the north-western Icelandic port of
Ísafjörður Ísafjörður (pronounced , meaning ''ice fjord'', literally ''fjord of ices'') is a town in the northwest of Iceland. The oldest part of Ísafjörður with the town centre is located on a spit of sand, or ''eyri'', in Skutulsfjörður, a fjord ...
by Norwegian sealer ''
Jason Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece is featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Med ...
''. A week later the Greenland coast was sighted, but progress was hindered by thick
pack ice Pack or packs may refer to: Music * Packs (band), a Canadian indie rock band * ''Packs'' (album), by Your Old Droog * ''Packs'', a Berner album Places * Pack, Styria, defunct Austrian municipality * Pack, Missouri, United States (US) * ...
. On 17 July, with the coast still away, Nansen decided to launch the small boats; they were within sight of the Sermilik Fjord, which Nansen had deemed a good place to reach the ice sheet in order to cross it and reach Christianshåb.Huntford, pp. 97–99 The expedition left ''Jason'' "in good spirits and with the highest hopes of a fortunate result", according to ''Jason's'' captain. There followed days of extreme frustration for the party as, prevented by weather and sea conditions from reaching the shore, they drifted southwards with the ice. Most of this time was spent camping on the ice itself—it was too dangerous to launch the boats. By 29 July they were south of the point where they had left the ship. On that day they finally reached land, but were too far south to begin the crossing. After a brief rest, Nansen ordered the team back into the boats and to begin rowing north. In the end Nansen finally began his crossing at
Umivik Bay Umivik Bay (), also known as ''Umiivik'' and ''Umerik'', is a bay in King Frederick VI Coast, southeastern Greenland. It is part of the Sermersooq municipalities of Greenland, municipality. Unlike the jagged and forbidding appearance of most f ...
.Reynolds, pp. 48–52


Gallery


See also

*
List of fjords of Greenland This is a list of the most important fjords of Greenland:In Greenland, Northern Greenland, a large area made up entirely of fjords; therefore Peary Land above not a fjord but a fjord area.In Greenland, Northeastern Greenland, a large area made ...
*
Ammassalik Island Ammassalik Island () is an island in the Sermersooq municipality in southeastern Greenland, with an area of .
*
Kristian Kristiansen (explorer) Kristian Kristiansen (16 February 1865 - 30 June 1943) was a Norwegian explorer who participated in the Greenland expedition of 1888 arranged by Fridtjof Nansen. This was the first documented crossing of Greenland. Biography Kristian Kristian ...
*
Sermilik Station Sermilik Station is a glaciology research station on Ammassalik Island, dedicated to the research of the nearby Mittivakkat Glacier. It is run jointly by the Department of Geography and Spatial Planning at the University of Graz and the Departm ...
*
Sermiligaaq Sermiligaaq (old spelling: ''Sermiligâk´'') is a settlement in the Sermersooq municipality in southeastern Greenland. It is located near the Sermilik Fjord. Its population was 209 in 2020. In Kalaallisut, its name means "Beautiful Glacierfjor ...


Bibliography

*Bjarne Grønnow, Jens Fog Jensen (2003). ''The Northernmost Ruins of the Globe''. Museum Tusculanum Press.
Mernild, S. H.; Liston, G. E.; Howat, I. M.; Ahn, Y.; Steffen, K.; Hasholt, B.; Jakobsen, B. H.; Fog, B.; van As, D., ''Freshwater flux to Sermilik Fjord, SE Greenland''
* (First published in 1997 by Gerald Duckworth) *


References


External links

*{{commonscat inline, Sermilik
Iceberg Collapse, Sermilik Fjord, East-GreenlandHiking in Sermilik
Fjords of Greenland it:Egede Fjord