Polas LYBERT - Communal person in charge

Uummannaq - Latitude 70 40 NR - Longitude 052 07 W

1500 inhabitants

Remarks collected in July 2009

We have a privileged situation in the bay of Uummannaq. The sea is well protected by the hills, and remains very calm. We also have the benefit of the pack ice staying longer, at a time when elsewhere the ice has already melted. In the same way, the ice comes earlier at the start of the winter. In spite of these advantages, we have had six difficult years, with the ice arriving late, and being of a poor quality.

This winter was exceptional, with conditions which we haven’t had for a very long time. In some places, the ice was one meter thick. To give you an example, our taxis could go on the ice as far as the village of Saatut, twenty three kilometres away. 

The older inhabitants tell us that there have already been, in fact there have always been, difficult years, such as 1933, when the sea did not freeze at during winter.

Our summers are also warmer. We can not easily see the variations, but the scientists have told us that during the summer months, the temperature of the water at the bottom of the fjords, near to the glaciers, has risen in some places from one to three degrees. The region is very mountainous, consisting of large quantities of granite. With permanent sunshine in the summer months, this rock stores enormous amounts of heat, and warms the glaciers at a faster rate than in the past. We also have much less rain, more wind, and lots of flowers.

For all that, in our commune, we are not particularly worried – there have always been changes, and we are optimistic about the future.