Quttinirpaaq National Park
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| Quttinirpaaq National Park | |
|---|---|
| IUCN Category II (National Park) | |
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| Location | Nunavut, Canada |
| Nearest city | Eureka |
| Coordinates | |
| Area | 37,775 km² |
| Established | 1986 |
| Governing body | Parks Canada |
Quttinirpaaq National Park is a Canadian national park. Located on the northeastern corner of Ellesmere Island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, the most northerly extent of Canada, it is the second most northerly park on Earth after Northeast Greenland National Park. In Inuktitut, Quttinirpaaq means "top of the world". It was established as Ellesmere Island National Park Reserve in 1988, and the name was changed to Quttinirpaaq in 1999,[1] when Nunavut was created, and became a national park in 2000.[2] The land here is dominated by rock and ice. It is a polar desert with very little annual precipitation and many of the glaciers here are remnants from the last episode of glaciation. The reserve covers nearly 38,000 km² (14,672 sq mi), making it the second largest park in Canada (after Wood Buffalo National Park). Some wildlife, including Arctic Hare, Peary Caribou, and Muskoxen live in the park, but sparse vegetation and low temperatures support only small populations. Plant and animal life is heavily concentrated in the Lake Hazen region, which due to its sheltered location has a milder climate than the surrounding plateaus.
Much of the highlands of the reserve accumulate snow that typically does not melt in the summer, but instead compacts into ice and flows down glaciers and into the Arctic Ocean. In many instances, this occurs in the form of land-based glaciers, which terminate before reaching water, with ice melting into lakes or streams as it drains away. Glaciologists can monitor these glaciers for signs that their ends (termini) are retreating, a possible indicator of regional climate warming. In other instances, the glaciers reach the sea and flow out over the water, breaking apart as icebergs. Such glaciers are known as tidewater glaciers. In these glaciers, the terminus can retreat suddenly and may not reflect short-term regional climate change. Their movement is driven by complex processes related to the thickness of the ice and the depth of the water.
The park includes Barbeau Peak, which at 2,616 m (8,583 ft) is the highest mountain in Nunavut.
Parks Canada, which is responsible for the area, operates the Tanquary Fiord Airport, which is one of the main access points for tourists who visit the area.
 Satellite picture of a glacier in Quttinirpaaq National Park (from NASA Earth Observatory; [1]) |
 British Empire Range, in the north of Tanquary Fiord |
 Gull Glacier in Tanquary Fiord |
 Tanquary Fiord, showing confluence of Air Force River, Rollrock River and Macdonald River |
 Arctic fox |
 Arctic hare |
 Arctic hare |
 Arctic tern |
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