Kitsissut Islands

Kitsissut Islands
Map of the Kitsissut Islands
Kitsissut Islands is located in Greenland
Kitsissut Islands
Kitsissut Islands
Geography
LocationLabrador Sea
Southern Greenland
Coordinates59°59′N 45°10′W / 59.983°N 45.167°W / 59.983; -45.167
Highest elevation101 m (331 ft)
Administration
Greenland
MunicipalityKujalleq
Demographics
Population0

Kitsissut (old spelling Kitsigsut) is an island group in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland.

Geography

Kitsissut is an island chain located about 60 kilometres (37 miles) to the west-northwest of Cape Farewell and 15 km to the south-southeast of Cape Egede 5 km from the shore. It is a cluster of numerous small islets and rocks, with a length of less than 30 km and a width of 8 km, divided into two subgroups: Northern Kitsissut (Danish: Nordlige Kitsissut) in the northwest and the smaller Southern Kitsissut (Danish: Sydlige Kitsissut) in the southeast.[1][2]

Angissoq is the largest island, with a length of 3.7 km and a width of 3 km. It is also the highest island with a peak in its centre on which a beacon stands.[3]

Climate

The Kitsissut Islands experience a tundra climate (Köppen: ET); with short, cool summers and long, very cold winters.[4]

Climate data for Kitsissut Islands (Angissoq) (59°21′N 45°08′W / 59.35°N 45.13°W / 59.35; -45.13) (14 m (46 ft) AMSL) (1991-2020 data)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 9.6
(49.3)
9.3
(48.7)
9.3
(48.7)
12.0
(53.6)
14.3
(57.7)
14.1
(57.4)
16.1
(61.0)
16.0
(60.8)
15.0
(59.0)
13.8
(56.8)
11.2
(52.2)
9.7
(49.5)
16.1
(61.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −1.1
(30.0)
−1.6
(29.1)
−0.9
(30.4)
1.5
(34.7)
3.5
(38.3)
5.4
(41.7)
6.7
(44.1)
7.2
(45.0)
6.2
(43.2)
3.9
(39.0)
1.7
(35.1)
0.1
(32.2)
2.7
(36.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) −2.8
(27.0)
−3.3
(26.1)
−2.5
(27.5)
−0.1
(31.8)
1.7
(35.1)
3.2
(37.8)
4.5
(40.1)
5.2
(41.4)
4.5
(40.1)
2.4
(36.3)
0.3
(32.5)
−1.4
(29.5)
1.0
(33.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −4.4
(24.1)
−5.0
(23.0)
−4.2
(24.4)
−1.8
(28.8)
−0.2
(31.6)
1.0
(33.8)
2.2
(36.0)
3.3
(37.9)
2.9
(37.2)
1.0
(33.8)
−1.1
(30.0)
−2.8
(27.0)
−0.8
(30.6)
Record low °C (°F) −16.1
(3.0)
−15.9
(3.4)
−16.3
(2.7)
−9.5
(14.9)
−9.4
(15.1)
−5.1
(22.8)
−2.5
(27.5)
−2.8
(27.0)
−1.8
(28.8)
−6.2
(20.8)
−9.1
(15.6)
−13.0
(8.6)
−16.1
(3.0)
Average relative humidity (%) 71.8 71.8 72.1 77.9 82.8 87.9 89.7 90.7 85.7 77.8 75.9 73.8 79.8
Source: Danish Meteorological Institute (1991-2020 temperature & humidity)[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ Kitsissut
  2. ^ Sailing Directions (Enroute), Pub. 181: Greenland and Iceland (PDF). Sailing Directions. United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2017. p. 6-7.
  3. ^ Prostar Sailing Directions 2005 Greenland and Iceland Enroute, p. 10
  4. ^ Beck, Hylke E; McVicar, Tim R; Vergopolan, Noemi; et al. (October 23, 2023). "High-resolution (1 km) Köppen-Geiger maps for 1901–2099 based on constrained CMIP6 projections". Nature. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  5. ^ Cappelen, J; Drost Jensen, C; Laursen, Ellen Vaarby; Stannius, Lotte Sligting; Thomsen, Rikke Sjølin (December 20, 2021). Hansen, Ane; Rasmussen, Leif; Scharling, Mikael (eds.). "Climatological Standard Normals 1991-2020 – Greenland" (PDF). Danish Meteorological Institute. Retrieved August 10, 2025.