Viewed from above, Greenland offers an endless vista of whiteness interrupted only by scattered ponds of azure-colored melt water. Ninety percent of Greenland is covered by ice; its ice sheet, the largest outside Antarctica, stretches almost 1,000 miles from north to south and 600 miles from east to west. But this stark view of ice and snow is changing--and changing rapidly. Greenland's ice sheet is melting; the dazzling, photogenic display of icebergs breaking off Greenland's rapidly melting glaciers has become a tourist attraction. The Fate of Greenland documents Greenland's warming with dramatic color photgraphs and investigates Greenland's climate history for clues about what happens when climate change is abrupt rather than gradual. Geological evidence suggests that Greenland has already been affected by two dramatic changes in climate: the Medieval Warm Period, when warm temperatures in Northern Europe enabled Norse exploration and settlements in Greenland; and the Little Ice Age that followed and apparently wiped out the settlements. Greenland's climate past and present could presage our climate future. Abrupt climate change would be cataclysmic: the melting of Greenland's ice shelf would cause sea levels to rise twenty-four feet worldwide; lower Manhattan would be underwater and Florida's coastline would recede to Orlando. The planet appears to be in a period of acute climate instability, exacerbated by carbon dioxide we pour into the atmosphere. As this book makes clear, it is in all of our interests to pay attention to Greenland.

Kayak past towering icebergs, dog-sled frozen tundra to picture-postcard villages, marvel at the midnight sun or dancing northern lights – Greenland and the Arctic are the perfect backdrop to an unforgettable experience. Whether you crave quiet solitude or bold adventure, this inspiring and practical guide takes you to the heart of the cold north.Exploring Made Easy – slumber in colorful cottages, dine on reindeer or sail the coast in style, with our extensive, practical listingsPlan Your Adventure – inspiring itineraries for exploring the Arctic Circle, from Lapland to Deadhorse, Nuuk to the North PoleGet Beneath The Surface – topical coverage of cultural and environmental issues affecting the region, with chapters on indigenous peoples and Arctic research projectsAmazing Endeavours – from Norse voyages to legendary explorers, storybook adventures uncovered in our dedicated history and exploration chapters

For the last decade, Gretel Ehrlich has been obsessed by an island, a terrain, a culture, and the men and women who long for and love the complex frailties and treacherous beauty of a world defined by ice. Greenland, the world’s largest island, 840,000 square miles in extent, is covered by the largest continental ice sheet in the world. Only the rocky fringe of its coast is habitable. There, the Inuit, the Arctic’s first explorers, have survived and thrived in the harshest of climates. For the Inuit, an ice-age, ice-adapted people who first traveled from Siberia across the polar North six thousand years ago, weather is consciousness. In a world composed of ice and darkness, water and light, where skins of dog, seal, bear, even hare and eider duck, are sewn into clothes, tents, and sleeping bags as protection, where transport is by dogsled and kayak, the only rein for the uncontrollable force of weather is an unbending self-discipline. The blend of physical endurance and psychological perseverance required for daily existence first drew Ehrlich to this terrain. Her guide, her inspiration, her companion in spirit was the great Danish-Inuit explorer and ethnographer Knud Rasmussen. Between 1902 and his death in 1933 he launched seven expeditions: to record the unknown history and customs of the nomadic Eskimos; to chronicle the skills, beliefs,and crafts that made life in this climate possible and a matter of grace. For Rasmussen, “all true wisdom is only to be found far from the dwellings of man, in great solitudes.” As she followed his trail, Ehrlich was to find the things that can open the mind to what is hidden from others. This Cold Heaven is at once a distillation of her many journeys, a path into a world divided into darkness and light and, finally, an attempt to capture the clarity that blinds us with surprise.

Do tupilaks really harbor supernatural powers? Is there more than one way to spell 'Ittoqqoortoormiit'? And just why is sleeping in a tent in this icy, rainy land better than a beachfront hotel in Waikiki? These questions are only the tip of the iceberg of mysteries and surprises Damjan Koncnik uncovers over three expeditions to this island 'way up there.' Chock full of history, humor and hardship, these tales of an everyday man's adventures in the Far North will stoke the imaginative fires of avid travelers and armchair explorers alike.

Travel guides explore countries, regions and cities in depth and for every budget, with reliable, easy-to-use maps, first-hand recommendations, well-researched background information and thorough, up-to-date coverage of all the sights -- on and off the beaten track. There are more than 230 titles in this classic series covering nearly every country in the world.-- the full spectrum of accommodation, from wild camping and mountain huts to farmhouses-- magnificent and varied hiking routes beside craggy headlands and wild surf, around moorlands and cascading waterfalls and over carpets of wildflowers-- earth-shattering revelations on the region's spectacular rumbling, shaking and spouting geological phenomena-- approachable Icelandic, Greenlandic and Faroese language sections

An easy-to-use double-sided road map of Greenland and the North Pole to plan your trip, to prepare your itinerary, and to travel independently.

Readers are invited to explore the world's last great northern wilderness with the most comprehensive guide to the region--and the only guide to feature the Faroe Islands. The book includes trekking routes through volcano landscapes, spectacular glaciers and thermal springs, and a language section covering Icelandic, Greenlandic, and Faroese. color. 85 maps.

The longest waymarked trail in Greenland, the Arctic Circle Trail runs from Kangerlussuaq to Sisimiut - both with airport access. The route traverses remote, empty, silent and stunningly scenic arctic tundra. There are excellent opportunities to see animals, birds and wild flowers and enjoy the use of free canoes and simple, free huts for shelter.

This frosty area is still largely unexplored by travelers. Surprising, because where else can you experience hot lava fields, spectacular geysers and waterfalls, active volcanoes, frozen lakes, glaciers, the northern lights, and the midnight sun? This practical guidebook reveals the dramatic beauty of this region available to travelers of all budgets and styles.

Over the history of polar exploration towers one titanic father figure - Fridtjof Nansen. That a little known researcher in neurology from Bergen Museum was able to put together one of the first great journeys of exploration of our time is a tribute to the extraordinary force and magnetism of his personality. That he should show such extraordinary innovation in the use of sledges and skis, such attention to detail in areas such as diet and the make of sleeping bag is equally extraordinary. Although Nansen's success is overshadowed by the epic voyage of the Fram, his journey across Greenland in 1888 (eight attempts before him had failed) remains one of the most astonishing on record. Even the Eskimos were to regard his achievement in awe: '...now you will travel to the unknown world out there, you will possibly forget us among all the people, but we will never forget you.' On his return Nansen became a living legend - a third of the population of Oslo came out to greet him and he was awarded a sinecure for the rest of his life. His Greenland journey and the ensuring lecture tour inspired a surge in exploration across Europe. This, the first modern edition of The First Crossing of Greenland, removes the technical appendices, the historical sections on previous attempts to penetrate the ice field, and the detailed account of the Eskimos. The record of the incredible journey, however, remains intact.