At Sea – Davis Strait
While Greenland fades into the distance, National Geographic Explorer heads west across the Davis Strait as we continue with our expedition. Our time in Greenland touched us each of us in special ways, for some the rich culture and history was the highlight, while for others the beautiful landscape was the draw. Either way we are taking away fond memories.
Greenland has been documented for centuries for different reasons, but an aspect that is seldom thought of when describing Greenland, except when associated with its commercial fishing, is the richness of its underwater life. A common misconception is that because the water is so cold (-2°C in the winter to 4°C in the summer) that creatures cease to be. Nothing could be further from the truth; there are colors and animals there which would rival tropical reefs. Lindblad believes that the underwater world of the destinations in which we travel is just as important as the terrestrial one, and why, on each Lindblad departure, an Undersea Specialist is carried on the ship. It is this naturalist’s job to bring back images and explanations of the Underwater world, no matter where we are in the world.
In Greenland the underwater ecology is an interesting one. Ravaged by storms and ice in the winter, during the summer the waters warm (relatively speaking) and life below explodes, from the tiniest planktonic organism, to the largest of the baleen whales. Sun stars crawl across the bottom on their tube feet looking for their next meal - as a rule the more arms a sea star has, the more voracious the predator. Other sea stars have perhaps fallen victim to the sun star or other predators, as they are missing and arm or two or three. But don’t worry even with just one arm, and even 1/5 of their central disk missing, a sea star can regenerate, although it may take up to a year to do so.
Greenland is famous for the deep fishing waters surrounding it, as well as the decades of dispute that have followed its and other countries fishing practices in those waters. However, close to shore there is a very common fish called the shorthorn sculpin. Not commercially fished, the sculpin can be found from New York to the Arctic, and commonly used as bait in lobster pots. This fish, which feeds mainly on different species of spider crabs, has no swim bladder. Keeping oneself afloat in the water column uses a lot of energy, energy which would be much better utilized to keep this fish warm in these frigid waters. To also assist even further, the sculpin has a blood antifreeze, which interferes with ice crystal formation in its tissues when the water temperature drops below 0°C. Interestingly enough, a synthetic version of this antifreeze can be found in many types of ice cream to avoid “freezer-burn.”
For all of us onboard National Geographic Explorer, Greenland held so many unexpected delights above and below the water. As we come closer to Canada, and the wilds of Baffin Island, our expedition leads us into the true Arctic: the land of the narwhals, walrus, and Ice Bear. We can only hope and imagine what is in store for us there.
While Greenland fades into the distance, National Geographic Explorer heads west across the Davis Strait as we continue with our expedition. Our time in Greenland touched us each of us in special ways, for some the rich culture and history was the highlight, while for others the beautiful landscape was the draw. Either way we are taking away fond memories.
Greenland has been documented for centuries for different reasons, but an aspect that is seldom thought of when describing Greenland, except when associated with its commercial fishing, is the richness of its underwater life. A common misconception is that because the water is so cold (-2°C in the winter to 4°C in the summer) that creatures cease to be. Nothing could be further from the truth; there are colors and animals there which would rival tropical reefs. Lindblad believes that the underwater world of the destinations in which we travel is just as important as the terrestrial one, and why, on each Lindblad departure, an Undersea Specialist is carried on the ship. It is this naturalist’s job to bring back images and explanations of the Underwater world, no matter where we are in the world.
In Greenland the underwater ecology is an interesting one. Ravaged by storms and ice in the winter, during the summer the waters warm (relatively speaking) and life below explodes, from the tiniest planktonic organism, to the largest of the baleen whales. Sun stars crawl across the bottom on their tube feet looking for their next meal - as a rule the more arms a sea star has, the more voracious the predator. Other sea stars have perhaps fallen victim to the sun star or other predators, as they are missing and arm or two or three. But don’t worry even with just one arm, and even 1/5 of their central disk missing, a sea star can regenerate, although it may take up to a year to do so.
Greenland is famous for the deep fishing waters surrounding it, as well as the decades of dispute that have followed its and other countries fishing practices in those waters. However, close to shore there is a very common fish called the shorthorn sculpin. Not commercially fished, the sculpin can be found from New York to the Arctic, and commonly used as bait in lobster pots. This fish, which feeds mainly on different species of spider crabs, has no swim bladder. Keeping oneself afloat in the water column uses a lot of energy, energy which would be much better utilized to keep this fish warm in these frigid waters. To also assist even further, the sculpin has a blood antifreeze, which interferes with ice crystal formation in its tissues when the water temperature drops below 0°C. Interestingly enough, a synthetic version of this antifreeze can be found in many types of ice cream to avoid “freezer-burn.”
For all of us onboard National Geographic Explorer, Greenland held so many unexpected delights above and below the water. As we come closer to Canada, and the wilds of Baffin Island, our expedition leads us into the true Arctic: the land of the narwhals, walrus, and Ice Bear. We can only hope and imagine what is in store for us there.
