Hans Tausen Ice Cap (Danish: Hans Tausens Iskappe) is an ice cap in Peary Land, northern Greenland. Administratively it is part of the Northeast Greenland National Park.[2]

Hans Tausen Ice Cap
Hans Tausens Iskappe
Map of Far Northern Greenland.
Map showing the location of Hans Tausen Ice Cap
Map showing the location of Hans Tausen Ice Cap
Location within Greenland
TypeIce cap
LocationGreenland
Coordinates82°30′N 37°30′W / 82.500°N 37.500°W / 82.500; -37.500
Areaca 4,000 km2 (1,500 sq mi)
Length100 km (62 mi)
Width80 km (50 mi)
Thicknessmax 600 m (2,000 ft)
StatusThe future development of the ice cap is highly dependent upon summer temperatures.[1]

Ice cores show it is around 3500–4000 years old. It formed since the Holocene climatic optimum of 6000-8000 BP.[3][4][5][6][7] It is a well studied ice cap, and is important to understanding the Holocene climatic optimum.[8]

Geography

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The ice cap is located south of Amundsen Land and the Nordpasset, at the western end of the De Long Fjord area, east of Freuchen Land across the inner J.P. Koch Fjord, west of Odin Fjord and south of the O.B. Bøggild Fjord.[9] It is about 100 km (62 mi) from north to south and 80 km (50 mi) from east to west and sits on a 1,300 m (4,300 ft) high plateau.

The Hans Tausen Ice Cap is the source of many glaciers, including the Ymer Glacier to the east, the Aajaku Glacier, Inukitsaq Glacier and Persuaq Glacier to the west, and the Lur Glacier and Tjalfe Glacier to the north.[10][2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Paper on ice flow PDF
  2. ^ a b Nunat Aqqi; Stednavne
  3. ^ Hans Tausen Iskappe, North Greenland - Studies using an ice flow model
  4. ^ Madsen, K. N.; Thorsteinsson, Th (2001). "Textures, fabrics and meltlayer stratigraphy in the Hans Tausen ice core, North Greenland - indications of late Holocene ice cap genration? In: (U.C. Hammer, ed.) the Hans Tausen Ice Cap Glaciology and Glacial Geology". Meddelelser om Grønland, Geoscience. 39: 97–114.
  5. ^ Möller, Per; Larsen, Nicolaj K.; Kjær, Kurt H.; Funder, Svend; Schomacker, Anders; Linge, Henriette; Fabel, Derek (2010). "Early to middle Holocene valley glaciations on northernmost Greenland". Quaternary Science Reviews. 29 (25–26): 3379–3398. Bibcode:2010QSRv...29.3379M. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2010.06.044.
  6. ^ The glacial history of the Hans Tausen Iskappe and the last glaciation of Peary Land, North Greenland
  7. ^ On the Holocene evolution of Hans Tausen Iskappe (Greenland)
  8. ^ Landvik et al 2001
  9. ^ GoogleEarth
  10. ^ Traveling Luck for Hans Tausen Iskappe
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