The Arctic glacier that calves twenty billion tonnes of ice into the sea annually

Countries & Cities · Published 29 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Located 250 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, the Ilulissat Icefjord is home to the Northern Hemisphere's most productive glacier. This massive ice factory, known as the Jacobshavn Isbræ, shapes the landscape and our scientific understanding of climate change, while holding frozen records of the Earth's past climatology.

The Ilulissat Icefjord, or Ilulissat Kangerlua, stretches 40 kilometers from the Greenland ice sheet to Disko Bay. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004, the area is defined by the Jacobshavn Isbræ, a glacier that moves at a staggering rate of 20 to 35 meters per day. This constant movement results in the calving of approximately 20 billion tonnes of icebergs every year. These icebergs can reach heights of up to one kilometer, often becoming grounded in the fjord's shallower sections for years until the pressure of subsequent ice forces them toward the open sea.

Beyond its physical scale, the fjord serves as a vital archive for climate science. The ice contained within the fjord dates back as far as 250,000 years, providing researchers with a unique window into past climatology. This scientific significance is matched by a deep human history; the Sermermiut site reveals that the region has been inhabited for nearly 4,000 years by successive Inuit cultures, including the Saqqaq, Early Dorset, and Thule. Today, local residents in settlements like Ilulissat, Ilimanaq, and Qasigiannguit continue to rely on the fjord for hunting and fishing, though climate change is altering traditional practices by increasing ice clearance and enabling more boat usage.

The modern era has brought significant changes to the region, particularly regarding tourism. Since the 1980s, interest in the fjord has grown, accelerating sharply following its UNESCO recognition. To accommodate this influx of visitors, the area is currently undergoing major infrastructure projects, including the construction of an international airport and expanded ports. Despite these developments, the fjord remains a place of extreme natural forces, where icebergs eventually drift into the Atlantic, often surviving until they reach the latitude of New York City, far south of the United Kingdom.

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