Today's highlights included bowhead whales, Arctic tundra hikes, an ice island, and polar bears. On the way to Isabella Bay and Arctic Harbour in Baffin Island, we saw our first bowhead whale of the trip. The whale presented itself with several spouts of air, showed its mouth, and then eventually showed its flukes before diving for thirty minutes or more (Figure A).
Our morning landing was in Arctic Harbour. Guests had several options for hikes and photo opportunities. The long hike took us on a circuitous route, starting with gravesites from whalers who lost their lives in 1875. We followed the spit around the fjord and up a hill where we encountered a probable Inuit inuksuk, or rock cairn (Figure B). We learned the Greenlandic equivalent of "when pigs fly"—tulukkat qaqortipatta (translation: "when ravens turn white"). Along the walk, we identified several plant species with unique adaptations for the Arctic. One example is the Arctic poppy, which follows the sun throughout the long Arctic summer day (Figure C). As we finished our hike, we discovered the remains of an ancient Thule site, including tent rings and the bones of whales and polar bears.
Back on the ship for the afternoon, we approached a 3.7 kilometer-long (2.25 miles) ice island currently anchored in the water at Cape Raber. It was created by the Petermann Glacier calving in 2012. This calving has been happening more frequently since the Lincoln sea ice is now starting to flow from northwest Greenland southward through the Kennedy Channel. The front of the glacier is now exposed to seawater, which has led to this increased calving. Dark blue streaks seen in the ice are intrusions, similar to geologic intrusions in a rock. The melt streams on the surface of the ice island fill in cracks and refreeze into a dense, bubble-free ice. This clear absorbs the yellow, orange, and red light of the spectrum and leaves the blue that we see. While enjoying this phenomenal sight, two polar bears were spotted, along with a bearded seal and several glaucous gulls.
Before heading to dinner, we were treated to the sight of many of the skittish bowhead whales that were feeding in the area. It was a perfect ending to the day.
