Scoresby Sund

Scoresby Sund branches inland from the east coast into a system of fjords covering a larger area than any other in the world, running some three hundred kilometres to its inner reaches, with walls of layered basalt, glaciers feeding in from several directions and icebergs of a size the west coast rarely produces. Most people see it from expedition ships in the short open-water window. There are no settlements inside it beyond Ittoqqortoormiit at the mouth.

Background

In Greenlandic the sound is Kangertittivaq. Its shape is tree-like: a main body approximately 110 km long branches into fjords covering about 38,000 km2. The main basin is 400-600 m deep, while some fjords reach 1,450 m. At the mouth, 29 km wide, Kangikajik, or Cape Brewster, on the Savoia Peninsula faces Uunarteq, or Cape Tobin. The southern side is a steep basalt wall 1000-2000 metres tall, while the north shore is lower and rounder. Inland the sound turns northwest and widens into the basin of Hall Bredning. The English explorer William Scoresby mapped the area in detail in 1822. Reindeer and the Greenland wolf once lived here but disappeared around the early 20th century.

Source: Wikipedia, "Scoresby Sound"

What's there

• The scale - a fjord system covering a larger area than any other on earth.
• The basalt walls - layered rock faces along the inner branches.
• The icebergs - ice of a size rarely seen elsewhere in Greenland.
• The inner branches - fjords running some three hundred kilometres inland.

When to go

July to September is the open-water window when ships can enter. Sea ice closes the mouth for the rest of the year. Even in summer ice can block access.

Before you go

The window is short and ice can close the mouth entirely even in August. Access is by expedition ship or expensive charter. There is nothing inside the system in the way of shelter or facilities.

Nearby

Ittoqqortoormiit is at the mouth, and Northeast Greenland National Park is north.

Key facts