Iceland to Greenland: A Geographer's Perspective with Lynn Moorman

Q&A

Why do the maps I look at always show Greenland to be so much bigger than it is? Is it a trick of the eye?

Lynn Moorman: Great question! It isn’t a trick of the eye—it is a function of trying to represent a sphere in two dimensions instead of three. There is distortion in every map. In Mercator projection maps (the ones where Greenland looks huge), the lines of longitude running from north to south are equally spread apart. But if you look at a globe, those lines all converge at the poles, so this type of map really stretches out that area between the lines of longitude. This stretching distortion affects the lands closest to the poles, such as Greenland. You can read more about the Mercator projection here, or watch this funny video clip.

If the glaciers don't calve into the ocean, what does that mean for Greenland's geography? Would there be more inland freshwater lakes & reservoirs?

Lynn Moorman: Yes, exactly. Thanks for the good question! The fresh water from the valley glaciers would have a better chance of being retained on land first, before ultimately flowing into the ocean. A Canadian example of this is Western Brook Pond in Newfoundland at Gros Morne National Park. The fjord is now cut off from the sea because of rebound, and a freshwater lake now exists where the glacier used to be, with the most pristine water in the world.

Is this the trip that Margaret Atwood will be on?

Yes! Margaret Atwood will be joining us on Iceland to Greenland: In the Wake of the Vikings (July 13-24, 2021).

Is it possible to see more of Iceland before the Iceland to Greenland expedition?

Absolutely! It is possible to combine two expeditions, Iceland Circumnavigation (July 4-13, 2021) and Iceland to Greenland (July 13-24, 2021) for one continuous sailing. Alternatively, you could arrive in Iceland ahead of time to do some independent exploration before embarking the Ocean Endeavour.

What ship is used? How many passengers will be onboard?

The Ocean Endeavour was originally built to accommodate approximately four hundred guests, but we bring a maximum of 198 guests onboard for our expeditions. This means half the guests, double the space, and double the time with our expert staff members like Lynn Moorman.