THE 1978 UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS WEST GREENLAND EXPEDITION

to the head of Ikamuit Kangdluarssuat

The 1978 University of St Andrews Expedition set off in late June, and through July and August they climbed and carried out scientific studies in the area at the head of Ikamuit Kangdluarssuat, some 50 miles north of Sukkertoppen, in West Greenland. Two scientific papers are detailed at the foot of this page.

The members of the Expedition were:

J.L.Thurman (leader) - Year 4 Geography

Dr J.E.Gordon MA, PhD - Geomorphologist

R.J.B.Gilchrist - Year 3 Geology

M.J.Cork - Year 3 Medical Biology

J.W.Denny - Year 2 Geography and Psychology

S. Osborne - Year 2 Medicine

N.A.Willcox - Year 3 Zoology

I.M.Young - Year 2 Geography and Geology

S.C.Crozier - Year 2 Geology and Psychology

On 28th June they set up their basecamp at Taserssuaq lake, which was frozen. They had travelled from Sukkertoppen on the fishing boat 'Daniel' and the crew helped them.

In the weeks that followed they made 13 first ascents and 6 second ascents, notably:

Pt 1675m, new route by north face, 40 hours. This peak is on the south side of Taserssuaq.

Qaqarssuarulak (1332m).

Pt 1600m, a peak north of Taserssuaq, by a steep ice route.

They also ascended an 800m ice face flanking an icefield, and they travelled across, via interlinking glaciers and icefields, from Taserssuaq to Evighedsfjord.

Canoe journeys were undertaken along the Ikamuit Kangdluarssuat, to peaks and glaciers to the east and western shores of the fjord, as well as visiting the deserted settlement at Ikamuit and bird colonies at Sermilinguaq.

More information in the Official Report (below) acknowledgment: with thanks to expedition member John Gordon for scanning the report and providing it for this website, along with some of the photos on this page.

SCIENTIFIC PAPERS PUBLISHED AFTER THE 1978 EXPEDITION

1980: Recent climatic trends and local glacier margin fluctuations in West Greenland. Nature, 284, 157-159. (By J.E. Gordon).

1981: Glacier margin fluctuations during the 19th and 20th centuries in the Ikamiut kangerdluarssuat area, West Greenland. Arctic and Alpine Research, 13, 47-62. (By J.E. Gordon).