2024-08-14, Nares Strait

Since only a few make it north through the Nares Strait due to the tough ice conditions, there are many species whose distribution is poorly explored. The other day, we saw a narwhal at the mouth of the Victoria Fjord during an ice reconnaissance flight with the helicopter. These flights are made to find the best routes through the ice. It was a lone narwhal at position N82.56679, W51.475133, and when this was reported to Greenland authorities, it became the most northerly narwhal sighting made in Greenland. The participants were even more excited the following day when about 50 narwhals were observed in Handbukta south of Ryderfjorden. The narwhal's "spear" is a spirally twisted fang that can be up to 3 meters long, and it is a powerful sight to see these animals in the crevices between the massive ice floes.

Text by Åsa Lindgren