Cape Morris Jesup

Coordinates: 83°39′42″N 33°24′37″W / 83.66167°N 33.41028°W / 83.66167; -33.41028
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Cape Morris Jesup
Kap Morris Jesup
View of Cape Morris Jesup on May 16, 1900
View of Cape Morris Jesup on May 16, 1900
Cape Morris Jesup is located in Greenland
Cape Morris Jesup
Cape Morris Jesup
Coordinates: 83°39′42″N 33°24′37″W / 83.66167°N 33.41028°W / 83.66167; -33.41028
LocationPeary Land, Greenland
Offshore water bodiesArctic Ocean
Area
 • TotalArctic

Cape Morris Jesup (Danish: Kap Morris Jesup) is a headland in Peary Land, Greenland.

Geography[edit]

Cape Morris Jesup is the northernmost point of mainland Greenland. It is 712 kilometres (442 mi) from the geographic North Pole. It is located in Johannes V. Jensen Land, about 20 km (12 mi) east of the mouth of Sands Fjord and west of Constable Bay.[1] The cape marks the limit between the Lincoln Sea to the west and the Wandel Sea to the east. About 5 km (3.1 mi) southeast of the cape there is a river forming a small delta that flows from the Mary Peary Peaks, part of the Roosevelt Range to the south.[2]

Climate[edit]

Climate data for Cape Morris Jesup, Greenland (2010-2020)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 3.4
(38.1)
7.8
(46.0)
0.1
(32.2)
1.4
(34.5)
7.4
(45.3)
9.5
(49.1)
15.3
(59.5)
17.0
(62.6)
4.5
(40.1)
5.6
(42.1)
4.1
(39.4)
2.6
(36.7)
17.0
(62.6)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −25.0
(−13.0)
−24.6
(−12.3)
−26.1
(−15.0)
−18.8
(−1.8)
−7.6
(18.3)
1.8
(35.2)
4.0
(39.2)
2.3
(36.1)
−5.6
(21.9)
−13.9
(7.0)
−19.9
(−3.8)
−23.1
(−9.6)
−13.0
(8.6)
Daily mean °C (°F) −28.4
(−19.1)
−27.8
(−18.0)
−28.8
(−19.8)
−21.5
(−6.7)
−9.4
(15.1)
0.2
(32.4)
2.2
(36.0)
0.5
(32.9)
−7.8
(18.0)
−16.8
(1.8)
−23.1
(−9.6)
−26.2
(−15.2)
−15.6
(3.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −31.5
(−24.7)
−31.0
(−23.8)
−31.7
(−25.1)
−24.4
(−11.9)
−11.4
(11.5)
−1.2
(29.8)
0.8
(33.4)
−1.1
(30.0)
−10.3
(13.5)
−19.8
(−3.6)
−26.3
(−15.3)
−29.0
(−20.2)
−18.1
(−0.6)
Record low °C (°F) −43.3
(−45.9)
−44.2
(−47.6)
−44.3
(−47.7)
−36.5
(−33.7)
−21.1
(−6.0)
−7.3
(18.9)
−2.8
(27.0)
−10.0
(14.0)
−24.4
(−11.9)
−34.5
(−30.1)
−43.7
(−46.7)
−39.2
(−38.6)
−44.3
(−47.7)
Average relative humidity (%) 68.5 69.1 68.0 71.6 80.5 86.9 88.7 88.9 84.3 77.9 72.7 70.8 77.3
Source: DMI[3]

History[edit]

Robert Peary reached the cape on 13 May 1900, believing it to be the northernmost point of land in the world, although it was later found to lie slightly to the south of the northernmost tip of Kaffeklubben Island.[4] The cape is named after American philanthropist Morris Ketchum Jesup, president of the Peary Arctic Club, who helped finance Peary's expeditions.[5]

Plants[edit]

Specimens of Arctic Poppy and Purple Saxifrage have been found growing in the thin, rocky soil. Cape Morris Jesup is practically a polar desert with roughly 30-day summers. Despite these extremely inhospitable conditions, these two tiny flowering plants eke out a meager existence and persist blooming through summer lows in the high 20’s Fahrenheit.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Kap Morris Jesup". Mapcarta. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  2. ^ "Cape Morris Jesup". Geographical Items on North Greenland Encyclopedia Arctica vol.14-0590. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  3. ^ "Climatological Standard Normals 1991-2020 – Greenland" (PDF). Danish Meteorological Institute. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  4. ^ "Oodaap Qeqertaa". Archived from the original on 2018-01-05. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  5. ^ "The Peary Arctic Club - Bowdoin College". Archived from the original on 2019-09-09. Retrieved 2019-06-19.