Prince Christian Sound
| Prince Christian Sound | |
|---|---|
| Ikerasassuaq Error {{native name checker}}: parameter value is malformed (help) | |
  Prince Christian Sound Location in Greenland | |
| Location | Arctic (S Greenland) |
| Coordinates | 60°9′N 43°53′W / 60.150°N 43.883°W |
| Ocean/sea sources | Labrador Sea / Irminger Sea (North Atlantic Ocean) |
| Basin countries | Greenland |
| Max. length | 100 km (62 mi) |
| Max. width | 2.7 km (1.7 mi) |
The Prince Christian Sound (Greenlandic: Ikerasassuaq;[1] Danish:Prins Christian Sund) is a waterway in Southern Greenland. It separates the mainland from Sammisoq (Christian IV Island) and other islands of the Cape Farewell Archipelago near the southernmost tip of Greenland. The name was given in honour of the prince, later king Christian VIII of Denmark.[2]
Geography
The Prince Christian Sound connects the Labrador Sea with the Irminger Sea. It is around 100 km (60 miles) long and it is narrow, sometimes only 500 m (1500 ft) wide. There is only one settlement along this sound, Aappilattoq.
The long fjord system is mostly surrounded by steep mountains reaching over 1200 m height. Many glaciers going straight into its waters calving icebergs. There are often strong tidal currents limiting the formation of ice. It has many offshoots, such as Kangerluk Fjord to the north midway through the fjord, Ikeq Fjord in the south, and in the west Ilua Fjord, Ikerasaq Fjord (Akuliarutsip Imaa), Utoqqarmiut Fjord (Pamialluup Kujatinngua) and the Torsukattak Fjord.[3]
Tourism
The Prince Christian Sound offers beautiful scenery and several times every summer cruise ships go through this sound, sometimes as large as the Eurodam.[4]
Climate
| Climate data for Prince Christian Sound 1961-1990, extremes 1958-1999 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 7.5 (45.5) |
9.0 (48.2) |
9.0 (48.2) |
11.6 (52.9) |
14.0 (57.2) |
20.0 (68.0) |
24.2 (75.6) |
20.9 (69.6) |
20.0 (68.0) |
14.2 (57.6) |
9.8 (49.6) |
13.4 (56.1) |
24.2 (75.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −1.9 (28.6) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
1.5 (34.7) |
4.4 (39.9) |
7.3 (45.1) |
9.8 (49.6) |
9.6 (49.3) |
6.9 (44.4) |
3.5 (38.3) |
0.6 (33.1) |
−0.9 (30.4) |
3.1 (37.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −6.2 (20.8) |
−6.3 (20.7) |
−5.9 (21.4) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
1.2 (34.2) |
3.3 (37.9) |
3.3 (37.9) |
1.9 (35.4) |
−0.7 (30.7) |
−3.4 (25.9) |
−5.1 (22.8) |
−1.8 (28.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −20.0 (−4.0) |
−16.0 (3.2) |
−16.9 (1.6) |
−15.2 (4.6) |
−10.2 (13.6) |
−5.5 (22.1) |
−3.6 (25.5) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
−3.2 (26.2) |
−6.9 (19.6) |
−12.0 (10.4) |
−15.3 (4.5) |
−20.0 (−4.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 262 (10.3) |
246 (9.7) |
205 (8.1) |
227 (8.9) |
175 (6.9) |
136 (5.4) |
129 (5.1) |
173 (6.8) |
233 (9.2) |
219 (8.6) |
227 (8.9) |
251 (9.9) |
2,483 (97.8) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) | 15.9 | 15.6 | 14.1 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.0 | 10.5 | 10.4 | 12.7 | 12.7 | 13.0 | 15.1 | 156.7 |
| Average snowy days | 16.6 | 15.8 | 15.0 | 13.6 | 7.8 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 3.0 | 9.1 | 13.5 | 14.6 | 111.1 |
| Source: http://www.dmi.dk/fileadmin/user_upload/Rapporter/TR/2000/tr00-18.pdf | |||||||||||||
See also
References
- ^ Den grønlandske Lods - Geodatastyrelsen
- ^ Prins Christian Sund (Den Store Danske Leksikon) (in Danish)
- ^ "Torsukattak". Mapcarta. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
- ^ Scenic Cruising on Eurodam
External links
Media related to Prince Christian Sound at Wikimedia Commons
