Pic(k) of the week 36: Sunny spells over Greenland

August 30, 2016

Pic(k) of the week 36: Sunny spells over Greenland

The ones that have been to Greenland or even just flown over it, often wonder how the place got its name? Well even historians can't agree 100%, but it looks like Norwegian Viking Erik the Red (Thorvaldsson) was the one responsible for its bizar name! As he was exiled from Iceland for manslaughter more than 1000 years ago, he "discovered" Greenland and called it that way, to attract more people going to live there. Needless to say, there is very little (read none) greenery in Greenland.

Today it is still the worlds largest island (Australia is larger but officially a continent) and with its 56480 (2013) inhabitants, also holds the record for being the "least populated" country.

From the air, on a clear day, Greenland is one of the most photogenic places to shoot aerial photography from. Its long fjords are often studded with amazing icebergs, several kilometer long glaciers come down its +2000m high icecap which span the whole central section. An amazing sight!

The image below was shot from 38000 feet just North of Narsarsuaq in southern Greenland. I was especially attracted how a very thin layer of clouds was partially obscuring the view to this beautiful bay covered with small icebergs.