Oodaaq

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Oodaaq is a tiny sand, gravel and silt bank northeast of Greenland and is referred to in some sources - arguably wrongly - as the northernmost land area on earth. Today it is mostly assumed that Oodaaq no longer exists (as of August 2007).

location and size

The position of Oodaaq is at 83 ° 40 '32.5 "  N , 30 ° 40' 10.1"  W coordinates: 83 ° 40 '32.5 "  N , 30 ° 40' 10.1"  W indicated. This place is only 704.02 km away from the North Pole . Oodaaq is 10.3 kilometers west of Kaffeklubben Island (Kaffeklubben Ø), an island off the northern tip of Greenland . The island was only 15 by 8 meters.

discovery

Oodaaq was discovered in 1978 when a Danish exploration team led by Uffe Petersen landed on Kaffeklubben Island in order to confirm the - at the time still controversial - thesis that Kaffeklubben Island was further north than the tip of Greenland . While on the island, a member of the expedition noticed a dark spot in the Arctic Ocean facing north . The team flew to this point in a helicopter and found a small place with solid land in the middle of ice floes . The place found was named Oodaaq . This place was named after the Inughuaq Ôdâĸ , who led Robert Peary in 1908/1909 on his research trip to the North Pole .

Status of Oodaaq as a land area and island

Sand and gravel bars such as Oodaaq are generally not considered a land area because most of them are not permanent. It was therefore always a matter of dispute for Oodaaq whether this position had the status of an island . Most recently, the existence of Oodaaq was confirmed in 2001. Subsequently, however, participants in several expeditions claimed that Oodaaq could no longer be found. The San Francisco Chronicle reported on June 17, 2004 that Oodaaq had been missing and not seen for years.

Status of Oodaaq as the northernmost land area on earth

After its discovery, Oodaaq was identified in some sources as the northernmost land area on earth. However, the following concerns speak against the assignment of this property:

  1. It is questionable whether Oodaaq still exists.
  2. In July 2001, the Expedition Return to the Top of the World (RTOW) led by Ken Zerbst and John Jancik confirmed that the sand and gravel bank ATOW1996 (named after the American Top of the World Expedition in 1996) discovered in 1996 the character as permanent land. It is therefore - because it is closer to the North Pole than all other (known) land masses - to be regarded as the northernmost land area on earth. The position of ATOW1996 is given as 83 ° 40 ′ 34.8 "N and 30 ° 38 ′ 38.6" W. ATOW1996 is approximately 319 meters from Oodaaq in an east-northeast direction and is 71 meters closer to the North Pole than Oodaaq .
  3. An area of ​​land even closer to the North Pole was noticed during an overflight - also as part of the RTOW expedition in 2001. It is commonly referred to as RTOW2001 and is said to be 83 ° 41 '06 "N and 30 ° 45' 36" W. This area is about 1034 meters closer to the North Pole than Oodaaq . However, further research is required to confirm that this survey is of a permanent nature and is to be recognized as land area (as of August 2007).
  4. On July 6, 2003, American hobby researchers led by Dennis Schmitt and Dr. Frank Landsberger found a 35 meter long, 18 meter wide and 4 meter high bank of rocks and rubble at 83 ° 42'05.2 "N and 30 ° 38 '49.4" W. This point is about 2.86 kilometers north than Oodaaq and was named 83-42 (also called Schmitt's Island ) (based on the latitude ). It is still under discussion (as of August 2007) whether the survey is to be regarded as permanent and whether it can be granted the status of the northernmost land area on earth. An expedition from 2008 would speak against this: On January 3, 2009, a program of the German TV station NDR broadcast a report according to which the land point from 2003 could no longer be found, but a new land point ( Ultima Thule 2008 ) at 83 ° 41 '  N , 31 ° 6'  W has been detected.

In view of the unsecured knowledge of the areas listed under No. 3 ( RTOW2001 ) and No. 4 ( 83-42 ), the island ATOW1996 is predominantly regarded as the northernmost land area on earth.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ San Francisco Chronicle: Romancing the north / Berkeley explorer may have stepped on ancient Thule, June 17, 2004.