Barentsøya

Barentsøya
Geography
Location Arctic Ocean
Coordinates 78°25′N 21°27′E / 78.417°N 21.450°E / 78.417; 21.450Coordinates: 78°25′N 21°27′E / 78.417°N 21.450°E / 78.417; 21.450
Archipelago Svalbard
Area 1,288 km2 (497 sq mi)
558 km2 (215 sq mi) glaciated.
Coastline 205 km (127.4 mi)
Highest elevation 590 m (1,940 ft)
Highest point Schweinfurthberget
Country
Norway
Demographics
Population 0
Hut and polar bear on Barents island

Barentsøya, sometimes anglicized as Barents Island, is an island in the Svalbard archipelago, Norway, lying between Edgeøya and Spitsbergen. Barents Island has no permanent human inhabitants. Named for the Dutch explorer Willem Barents (who actually never sighted the island), it is a part of Søraust-Svalbard Nature Reserve.

An Arctic island, around 43 per cent of its area of 1,288 square kilometres (497 sq mi) is glaciated. To the north, in the sound between Barentsøya and Spitsbergen, lies the island of Kükenthaløya. To the south, the sound separating Barents Island from Edgeøya is Freemansundet.

Geography

Barentsøya has an approximately square shape, with maximum lengths and widths of about fifty kilometers,[1] and an area of 1,288 km2 (497 sq mi). A significant part of the island, more than 500 km2 (190 sq mi), is glaciated. The ice cap of Barentsjøkulen covers a large part of the island, with the largest offsprings Besselsbreen (north), Duckwitzbreen (west), Freemanbreen (south), and Hübnerbreen (southeast).[2][3][4][5][6] Barentsjøkulen has the two large ice domes of Peer Gyntslottet and Solveigdomen.[7][8] The mountain of Schweinfurthberget is a nunatak of Barentsjøkulen.[9]

At the northern side of Barentsøya is the ice-free peninsula of Frankenhalvøya, between Ginevrabotnen at the western side and Dorstbukta to the east.[10][11] Grimheia is an ice-free mountainous area extending over a length of about thirteen kilometers at the northern part of the island.[12] The westernmost point of the island is the headland of Mistakodden.[13] At the southern part of Barentsøya are the mountains of Krefftberget and Høgrinden, while Jeppeberget is located to the southeast.[14][15][16] The largest lakes of the island are Veslemjøsa in Heimarka, and Dalskilvatnet between the valleys of Sjodalen and Grimdalen.[17][18]

Geology and ecology

In geologic time much of the surface rock has been eroded by glaciation.[19] The entire area is visited by polar bears, who have a recognisable genetic differentiation specialised to the Barents Sea region.[20]

See also

Landscape on Barents island

References

Line notes

  1. ↑ "Barentsøya (Svalbard)". Norwegian Polar Institute. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  2. ↑ "Barentsjøkulen (Svalbard)". Norwegian Polar Institute. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  3. ↑ "Besselsbreen (Svalbard)". Norwegian Polar Institute. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  4. ↑ "Duckwitzbreen (Svalbard)". Norwegian Polar Institute. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  5. ↑ "Freemanbreen (Svalbard)". Norwegian Polar Institute. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  6. ↑ "Hübnerbreen (Svalbard)". Norwegian Polar Institute. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  7. ↑ "Peer Gyntslottet (Svalbard)". Norwegian Polar Institute. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  8. ↑ "Solveigdomen (Svalbard)". Norwegian Polar Institute. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  9. ↑ "Schweinfurthberget (Svalbard)". Norwegian Polar Institute. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  10. ↑ "Frankenhalvøya (Svalbard)". Norwegian Polar Institute. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  11. ↑ "Dorstbukta (Svalbard)". Norwegian Polar Institute. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  12. ↑ "Grimheia (Svalbard)". Norwegian Polar Institute. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  13. ↑ "Mistakodden (Svalbard)". Norwegian Polar Institute. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  14. ↑ "Krefftberget (Svalbard)". Norwegian Polar Institute. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  15. ↑ "Høgrinden (Svalbard)". Norwegian Polar Institute. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  16. ↑ "Jeppeberget (Svalbard)". Norwegian Polar Institute. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  17. ↑ "Veslemjøsa (Svalbard)". Norwegian Polar Institute. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  18. ↑ "Dalskilvatnet (Svalbard)". Norwegian Polar Institute. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  19. ↑ Svalbard Images
  20. ↑ C. Michael Hogan, 2008
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