Graham Bell Island
 | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Kara Sea |
| Coordinates | 80°51′59″N 64°17′21″E / 80.866389°N 64.289167°E |
| Archipelago | Franz Josef Land |
| Administration | |
Russia | |
Graham Bell Island (Russian: Остров Греэм-Белл) is an island located at 80°51′59″N 64°17′21″E / 80.8663889°N 64.2891667°E in the Franz Josef Archipelago, Russia.
Graham Bell Island is one of the largest islands of the group and it is partly glacierized. Its highest point is 509 m. This island lies east of Wilczek Land, separated from it by a narrow sound known as Morgan Sound (Пролив Моргана; Proliv Morgana). It is the easternmost island of Franz Josef Land. Cape Kohlsaat, the easternmost point of the archipelago at 81°14′N, 65°10′E, lies on Graham Bell Island's eastern shore. Cape Kohlsaat marks the northwestern-most corner of the Kara Sea, therefore it is a significant geographical landmark.
This island was named after inventor Alexander Graham Bell. Graham Bell Island should not be confused with the smaller Bell Island which is also part of the Franz Josef Archipelago and which was also named after the same person.
History
Graham Bell Island is home to a Cold War outpost and to the airfield Greem Bell (81°09′N 64°17′E / 81.150°N 64.283°E) on the Northeastern end of the island. It is the largest airfield in the archipelago. It has a runway 2,100 m (7,000 ft) long. Russian cargo and fighter aircraft have regularly landed here since the 1950s. The runway was usable only in the 8 months with sufficiently frozen ground. Before it was shut down it was also used for tourist helicopter trips around the Russian arctic as a stopover and refueling base. The base was shut down completely in 1994. It began falling into ruins and was subsequently closed to normal visitors.[1] In 2012, the Russian Air Force decided to reopen Graham Bell Airfield as part of a series of reopenings of air bases in the Arctic.[2]
Adjacent Islands
- Graham Bell Island's northern shore is fringed by clusters of very small islets.
- Ostrov Perlamutrovyy (Pyerlamutrov Island) – lies off the southeastern shore of Graham Bell Island.
- Ostrov Trëkhluchevoy – lies off its western shore at 80°57′06″N 63°04′45″E / 80.9517°N 63.0792°E and is only 2 km in length.
- Ostrov Udachnyy – is part of a cluster of islets located along the NW shores 81°08′30″N 64°08′45″E / 81.1417°N 64.1458°E
See also
References
- All locations: [1] [dead link]
- http://www.geosite.com.ru/pageid-335-1.html [dead link]
- Island Directory. Unep.org.
- Graham-Bell Island (Russian).
- Graham-Bell airfield (Russian).
Citations
- ^ Graham Bell (Greem Bell) Island, Severnaja - Franz-Josef-Land. Franz-josef-land.info.
- ^ "Russia to build more Arctic airfields". IHS Janes. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
