Quttinirpaaq-Nationalpark

The Quttinirpaaq National Park ( officially english Quttinirpaaq National Park of Canada, French Parc national du Canada Quttinirpaaq / alternatively Quttinirtaaq National Park ), with an area of 37 775 square kilometers, the largest national park of Nunavut and the second largest of the currently 44 national parks in Canada, as well as the northernmost of them. His Inuktitut name means " top of the world ". 1988 essential parts of the north of Ellesmere Island were collected under the name of " Ellesmere National Park Reserve " for the reserve; In 1999, the area the name " Quttinirpaaq ", and the final legal establishment as a national park took place with the Canadian National Parks Ordinance of 19 February 2001.

Geography

Geographically Quttinirpaaq National Park comprises the northern part of Ellesmere Island with the exception of a larger area around the Canadian military station alert in the extreme northeast of the island. The National Park represents one of every civilization far away, heavily fissured total area of ​​just under 20 percent of the island, which is about 10 percent the size of Germany.

The coasts of the National Park are surrounded by the Arctic Ocean and are very rugged glacial valleys, deep land cuts and seven fjords. Where fall the mountains of Grant Land, the northern part of the park to the ocean in the far north, bind unique Meereseisplatten of up to 80 meters thickness for several millennia together sea and land. One of these ice sheets, the " Ward Hunt Ice Shelf" near the Disraeli Fiord (82 ° 53 ' north latitude, 73 ° 03' w. L.) broke in the summer of 2002.

The two belonging to the Innuitians caused by folding in the Paleozoic mountain ranges United States Range and British Empire Range of Grant Land (part of the Arctic Cordillera ) are from one to 1,000 meters high, still originating from the last ice age ice cap ( Grantland Ice Cap ) and some smaller ice caps covered. From their peaks as nunataks protrude upward, including

• The Barbeau Peak ( 81 ° 54 '30 " north latitude, 75 ° 01 ' 30" w. L.), with 2,616 meters, the highest mountain of Nunavut,
• Mount Whisler (82 ° 00 '42 " north latitude, 74 ° 32' 18 " w. L.), with 2,500 meters the second highest peak of Ellesmere Island, 12 kilometers north-east of Barbeau Peak from Henrietta Nesmith Glacier completely enclosed, and
• Mount Eugène (82 ° 24 ' 18 " north latitude, 66 ° 38' 39 " w. L.), 63 kilometers west of the Military Station Alert.

South and east of the mountain ranges, the country lowers the center of the National Park abruptly. At an altitude of only 158 meters above sea level. inst is here the Hazensee (81 ° 38 ' - 81 ° 58' north latitude, 68 ° 55 ' - 72 ° 58' L. w. ). This in the north. Garfield through the mountain range and on the south by the Hazen Plateau protected lake provides a thermal " oasis " that which remains of the summer with average midday temperatures of up to 20 ° C above freezing to about 70 days The only outflow is long Ruggles River, whose output is not totally covered with ice from the lake itself at -60 ° C of 22 km; it flows into the Chandler Fjord, whose water flow through the Conybeare Fjord and the Lady Franklin Bay to Nares Strait.

The rugged Hazen Plateau ends in the east on the 600 meters in depth covered cliffs of the Archer Fjord and Robenson channel.

Climatic conditions

Quttinirpaaq with annual rainfall of only 60 millimeters of one of the driest areas in the northern hemisphere, a so-called polar desert.

History

In the field of Quttinirpaaq National Park there are traces of more than 4,000 years of permanent human settlement found. The first people were Paleo- Eskimos of the Pre- Dorset culture; they were followed by later members of the Dorset culture, and finally the Thule culture. The last group of people disappeared during the Little Ice Age (1600 - 1850) of Ellesmere Island.

Discovered in 1882 by the then Lieutenant General Adolphus Washington Greely and later by the American Research Station Fort Conger from the lake. He was also the first who reported on the surrounding mountains and glaciers.

During the International Geophysical Year (July 1, 1957 to December 31, 1958 ) was built in the " Hazen Camp " as a research base on the northern shore of the lake across from St. John's Iceland (81 ° 49 ' north latitude, 71 ° 25' W L.). . As the region was left uncovered around the lake during the last ice age glaciers, located voreiszeitliche organisms could get here, what lies behind even after 1958 to the present great scientific interest.

Access to Quttinirpaaq National Park

Gateway to the National Park is a built from Jamesway tent cabins at Camp Tanquary Fjord (81 ° 25 ' north latitude, 76 ° 45' w. L.) by Parks Canada, which can be run depending on ice conditions of a supply ship. Small aircraft can also land at the airfield Tanquary Fiord. During the summer, the camp is occupied about two and a half months with park rangers ( Parks Canada Rangers). One of the main tasks of the Rangers is to capture a year in a four- day-long action with aircraft or helicopter support the entire game population. Also the entire plant population should be determined and checked in ten years intervals to changes.

Flora

The glacier regions of the National Park provide only limited space for plant growth. On moraines, lateral moraines, and other glacial Eskern reasons, however, have evolved over time soil particles, so that not only lichens and mosses, but colonize vascular plants in sheltered, facing the sun, the ice-free zones could. Especially in areas where ground water accumulates to nutrient soils formed the basis for vegetation, and so in the Hazensee oasis rich flora and fauna has evolved. The end of July, early August bloom in the moss, lichen and grass mats mainly various willow species, the yellow Arctic poppies, white mountain avens and the red cushion of the stalk lots Leimkrauts. A total of about 130 plant species were counted.

Fauna

Land mammals

Herbivores, primarily musk oxen, Peary caribou, arctic hares and lemmings, these plants serve as food. They in turn fall Polar wolves for over 1,000 years are here at home, the prey. Also Arctic foxes live here. Currently living on the territory of the park about 20 wolves, 200 Peary caribou and muskoxen 2000.

About 30 species of birds, including shearwaters, terns, skuas and other gull species, breed in the summer in the area of the National Park.

Marine mammals and fish

Ringed seals, bearded seals, walruses, and occasionally whales and polar bears hold on to the sea shores. Of fish is native to the Hazensee as a single type of char.

Tourist comments

Every year, with charters two, three groups of visitors as day-trippers and the forty tour goers to Tanquary Fjord. The Tour goers break usually on from here to hike on one of the usual routes in 8 to 12 days to Lake Hazen. The return is usually done with a pre-booked charter aircraft. Sometimes the reverse route is selected. During their tour, the travelers always stay in radio contact with the base camp.

In Parks Canada - Camp all current information will be given to the park visit, for example, information on blocked areas such as the areas with Wolf- birth Caves, which may not be entered to protect the vulnerable in their inventory polar wolves.