Ellesmere Island (; )|name=Cape Columbia is the most northerly point of land in Canada and one of the most northern points of land on the planet (the undisputed northernmost point of land on Earth is the nearby Kaffeklubben Island of Greenland). the north geomagnetic pole (the south pole of the earth's magnetic field) is located on the island at .

The Arctic Cordillera mountain system covers much of Ellesmere Island, making it the most mountainous in the Arctic Archipelago. More than one-fifth of the island is protected as Quttinirpaaq National Park.

In 2021, the population of Ellesmere Island was recorded at 144 in three settlements: Alert, Eureka, and Grise Fiord. The Thule displaced the small-tool cultures, having a number of technological advantages which notably included effective weapons, kayaks and umiaks for hunting marine mammals, and sled dogs for surface transport and pursuit. The Thule also had an extensive trade network, evidenced by meteoritic iron from Greenland which was exported through Ellesmere Island to the rest of the archipelago and to the North American mainland.

More than fifty Norse artifacts have been found in Thule archaeological sites on the Bache Peninsula, including pieces of chain mail. It is uncertain if Ellesmere Island was directly visited by Norse Greenlanders who sailed from the south or if the items were traded through a network of middlemen. It is also possible the items may have been taken from a shipwreck. A bronze set of scales discovered in western Ellesmere Island has been interpreted as indicating the presence of a Norse trader in the region. The Norse artifacts date from c. 1250 to 1400 CE.|display=inline|name=Cape Sheridan) west to Cape Alert (), including the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf. In 1906 Robert Peary led an expedition in northern Ellesmere Island, from Cape Sheridan along the coast to the western side of Nansen Sound (93°W). During Peary's expedition, the ice shelf was continuous; it has since been estimated to have covered .|name=Cape Columbia), is less than from the north pole, while its southern coasts at 77°N are well within the Arctic Circle.

Ellesmere has the highest and longest mountain ranges in eastern North America and is the most mountainous island in the Arctic Archipelago. It has over half of the archipelago's ice cover, with ice caps and glaciers across 40% of its surface. Its extensive coastline includes some of the world's longest fiords.

To the west, Ellesmere is separated from Axel Heiberg Island by Nansen and Eureka Sounds, the latter of which narrows to . Devon Island is to the south across Jones Sound; at the west end of the sound, they are separated by North Kent Island and two channels which narrow to . Greenland is to the east across Nares Strait; the strait narrows to at Cape Isabella on Smith Sound and further north narrows to at Robeson Channel. These channels and straits typically freeze over in winter, though winds and currents leave pockets of open water (temporary leads and persistent polynyas) in Nares Strait. To the north of Ellesmere is the Arctic Ocean, with Lincoln Sea to the northeast.

Protected areas

More than one-fifth of the island is protected as Quttinirpaaq National Park (formerly Ellesmere Island National Park Reserve), which includes seven fjords and a variety of glaciers, as well as Lake Hazen, North America's largest lake north of the Arctic Circle. The highest mountain in Nunavut, Barbeau Peak (), is located in the British Empire Range on Ellesmere Island. The most northern mountain range in the world, the Challenger Mountains, is located in the northeast region of the island. The northern lobe of the island is called Grant Land.

thumb|Air Force glacier in Quttinirpaaq National Park

thumb|[[Gull Glacier in Tanquary Fiord]]

thumb|Hiking on Ellesmere Island

The Arctic willow is the only woody species to grow on Ellesmere Island. Nonetheless, there are archaeological remains of winter dwellings of both Independence and Thule cultures in the interior.

Climate change

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Ice core samples from Ellesmere's ice caps show a general warming interval between 400 BCE and 1300 CE.

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A paleolimnological study of algae in the sediments of shallow ponds on Cape Herschel (which faces Smith Sound on Ellesmere's eastern coast) found that the ponds had been permanent and relatively stable for several millennia until experiencing ecological changes associated with warming, beginning around 1850 and accelerating in the early 2000s. During the 23-year study period, an ecological threshold was crossed as several of the study ponds had completely desiccated while others had very reduced water levels. In addition, the wetlands surrounding the ponds were severely affected and dried vegetation could be easily burned.

While non-eusocial, the Arctic woolly bear moth (Gynaephora groenlandica) can also be found on Ellesmere Island. While this species generally has a 10-year life cycle, its life is known to extend to up to 14 years at both the Alexandra Fiord lowland and Ellesmere Island. With the end of the Cold War and the advent of new technologies allowing for remote interpretation of data, the overwintering population has been reduced to 62 civilians and military personnel as of 2016.

Eureka

Eureka (the third northernmost settlement in the world) consists of three areas: Eureka Aerodrome, which includes Fort Eureka (the quarters for military personnel maintaining the island's communications equipment); the Environment and Climate Change Canada Weather Station; and the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL), formerly the Arctic Stratospheric Ozone (AStrO) Observatory. Eureka has the lowest average annual temperature and least precipitation of any weather station in Canada.

Grise Fiord

thumb|Monument to the first Inuit settlers relocated to [[Grise Fiord in 1952–55. This was during Canada's controversial High Arctic relocation program |upright]]

Grise Fiord (Inuktitut: , Romanized: , <small>lit. "</small>place that never thaws") is an Inuit hamlet that, despite a population of only 144,

Grise Fiord is cradled by the Arctic Cordillera mountain range.

Transportation

Transportation along coastal waters has been historically important for hunting and trade, whether on the sea ice or in small boats. The ice foot, a belt of level and secure ice around the shoreline between the high and low water marks, can be used from mid-September to July. In contrast, the pack ice does not stabilize and freeze fast until February, and presents a much rougher surface for travel.

The navigation season for seagoing vessels is from late July to September, but is often considered treacherous due to currents, persistent shore ice, sea ice, and massive icebergs calved off of the many glaciers. September also marks a change in the weather with regular fog and the beginning of the autumn storm season.

Ellesmere Island is the setting of much of Melanie McGrath's The Long Exile: A True Story of Deception and Survival Amongst the Inuit of the Canadian Arctic

See also

  • Lomonosov Ridge
  • Ledoyom
  • Serson Ice Shelf
  • Borup Fiord Pass

Notes

References

Further reading

  • Ellesmere Island in the Atlas of Canada - Toporama; Natural Resources Canada
  • Mountains on Ellesmere Island
  • Detailed map, northern Ellesmere Island, including named capes, points, bays, and offshore islands by Geoffrey Hattersley-Smith
  • Norman E. Brice Report on Ellesmere Island at Dartmouth College Library