Taconic (AGC 17) - Naval Cruise Book

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THE COAST LINE -OF GREENLAND, GRIN AND FORBIDDING ' The ice cap of Greenland has its own peculiar histpry, for it attracts explorers and scientists in the same way that Mt. Everest attracts mountain climbers. One of the first scientists - explorers to attack it was A.I. Nordenskiold, who sought proof and data for his 'Glacial Epoch Theory'. It was his idea that, ages ago, Europe and North America were covered with an ice cap in much the same manner as Greenland is now. He made his first trip to the ice cap in 1870 to obtain a firsthand impression of this 'wonder' and to cross over the cap if he could. After one month of travel by sledge, the terrain became impassable by that means and they proceeded on foot. They did manage to climb to an altitude of 2,000 feet, but were forced to return after having penetrated only 35 miles. V Fridjof Nansen, a young adventurer, heard of the great ice cap from Norden- skiold, and decided to undertake its dangerous challenge. He procured trans- ealer which was to take them to the east coast of Greenland. The captain of the ship, however, came upon some excellent waters after a month's delay enroute, Nansen and his party of five decided to head for Greenland in their small boat. ,After being caught in d t l'mb u on a solid ice pack. From here they a storm, they were force o c 1 p were carried out to sea and it was not until late August that they finally portation on a Norwegian s for seal hunting and arrived on the east coast of Greenland.

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the middle of Greenland'. 'Where do icebergs comeefr0m?' 'From - th' cruise, but it This question might have been asked several times OZ wevzr absurd it ma seems doubtful that it ever got an answer like thats .Kite far inland fro: ICOM. iceberls. at least some of them. Hctually oflgln 11 iecea of th Greenland's shores, and are nothing more than relatively Uma P 8 northern hemisphere's greatest glacier. the Greenland ice cap' It covers the interior of Greenland with a layer of iCe'1in sometapots 1000 feet thick, rising with the high terrain in the centra .f'ea'fnf fhe neighborhood of 10,000 feet, and enveloping an area roUEh1Y the 91 0 exlco or nine-tenths of the total land area. In the interior the surface of the ice is composed of loose dry snow, which never melts, but is carried outward to the borders, where also there is heavier snowfall. off the ice by the outward blowing winds and pours through the mountain rim of Greenland and is piled up in valleys as snow drift glaciers, Or is Carried out onto the sea-ice and forms snow deltas. The ice cap, however, has its own ice glaciers. Imagine pouring chilled heavy oil onto an inverted saucer, result- ing in a slow easy overflow until the level part of the saucer is covered whth a uniform thickness of the viscous oil, while the excess slowly runs off. It is exactly the same with the ice cap, and.with its ice glaciers. The internal pressure caused by its tremendous weight 'pushes out' the sides of the ice cap, works its way through the deep valleys on the perimeter, and emerges as ice glaciers. These glaciers, offspring of the ice cap glacier, travel at a velocity of around 65 feet per day. The outer edges then break off when they reach the sea, and are then called icebergs. - ' The snow is often carried MOUTH OF AGPAT GLACIER

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e distant west coast hich led to the h b Th 1. b th t e Cherous slopes w , .6 lt, for t e snow ecame be aneizixmierdliaitlely-e Tiasel became extremeleyl daltffnlight when. the temnerature Sggt during the day, and they had tohtraxow They replenished their water would sink to a minus 408 and harden gl 0 Sow Jud melting it lwlth the heat of SUPPIY by filling their canteqns Wlt snd the rugged terrain added to their their bodies. Hunger, snow. blindness. 215 feet they came upon the f1a't cent- almost unbelieveable sufferings. At 8,00 nd skis could be used. Flnally, ral plateau, where travel became easierha sighted the grass and the brown after 351 miles of torturesome ordeal, t eyf Greenland' their goal. It was soil that characterizes the western coasg 3 attempts, the first Cr9SS1UE,0f September 15, 1888. After.mang'hun:uglsccEg:. liollowing expeditions whicll sitill: th ' de, aving . Q ' h re in a s u y o seegk lxfeclcuaep tzaihlemweatger conditions of the northern hemisp e the great ice cap of Greenland. .AERIALAVIEW or norxrxr: GLACIER Green1and's icecaps and glaciers make up f . . cult terrain in the world. 4 A view of the tsgprfigustgi Itlluxeitkixtzrtliizecl alnd .d1ff1' North Greenland, reproduced above, would convince anyone that N e G acler 9f party accomplished no mean feat. I ansen and his Modern ex lorers utilizing aircr ft ti - algle to reac: .tuhecir 'gozllls and czbtain athe'irpl:i1at'acl:v?tlh1Bcorngihcetigblgslelsgv:flggeltm re ir o r t ' P caan was qu e e 1 s ven urers into the frozen wastes of the ice