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Kongsfjorden, which stretches
25 miles inland, is a natural
wonder not simply in terms
of scenic splendor, it is
here that the warmer waters
of the Atlantic meet the colder
waters of the Arctic, producing
an interesting series of biological
processes in the water masses
and sea floor. Freshwater
from an active tidal glacier
at the head of the fjord adds
to the mix, and marine biologists
enjoy studying the dynamic
marine environment caused
by the meeting of these waters.[3]
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Kongsfjorden (Kongs
Fjord or Kings Bay) is an inlet on
the west coast of Spitsbergen, an
island which is part of the Svalbard
archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. The
inlet is 26 km (16 miles) long and
ranges in width from 6 to 14 km (4
to 9 miles). Two glaciers, Kronebreen
and Kongsvegen, head the fjord.
The coal-mining town
of Ny-Ålesund is located on
its southern shore and is one of only
4 permanent settlements on Spitsbergen.
It is also a popular shore break for
cruises although it is worried that
tourism may cause interference with
the sensitive scientific devices in
the settlement.
Kongsfjorden was originally
named Deer Sound by Jonas Poole (1610),
and was known as such by the English
whalers until at least 1658. Giles
and Rep (c. 1710) were the first to
name it Koninks Bay. William Scoresby
(1820) repeats this error by naming
it Kings Bay, while he moves Deer
Sound to a bay in the northeast of
the fjord. Modern cartographers have
simply repeated this error.[4]
Ny-Ålesund, a
coal-mining town, is located on the
inlet's southern shore. Kongs Fjord
has been a base for a number of polar
flights, including that of Richard
E. Byrd (U.S.) with Floyd Bennett
(U.S.) and that of Roald Amundsen
(Norwegian) with Umberto Nobile (Italian),
both in 1926.[5]
