Physical geography defines a fjord as an extended sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs and usually both saltwater and freshwater at its source. Fjords are formed by glaciers and filled with both types of waters – saltwater for coastal environments and freshwater for freshwater inlets.
Glaciers tend to form in regions where westerly winds cause orographic lift over mountainous coastlines, leading to abundant snowfall that feeds into glaciers. Examples of such regions are western Norway, southwestern New Zealand and southern Chile.
Origin
Fjords conjure images of stunning coastal inlets filled with sparkling blue water and lined by rugged cliffs – common sights along the coastlines of Norway, Scotland and New Zealand as well as appearing in tourism ads – but what lies at their origins?
Glacier-formed fjords offer one explanation for their existence. During the Ice Ages, glaciers moved across continents before melting back into the sea to form deep channels known as fjords – though why these often extend inland several hundred meters is unclear; river erosion cannot reach these depths so most likely glaciers carved the deepest parts.
As it enters the sea, fjord erosive power tends to decrease. Glaciers melt faster in saltier waters than freshwater environments and therefore lose their ability to erode rocks effectively. As such, its seaward end often shallower while some feature rocky thresholds which mark its transition between fresh and salt water environments.
Fjords located along the coasts of both polar regions are generally considered prime examples of fjords, though there are other examples across Greenland, Alaska, Chile and Antarctica as well. Although its exact formation remains a mystery to experts, most believe glaciers to be responsible while other factors like tectonic movement, melting water or even landslides could also play a part. Polar regions tend to possess deeper fjords due to thicker glaciers during ice age periods.
Shape
Fjords are deep, narrow valleys bounded on three sides by steep mountains and filled with sea water. Fjords were formed by glaciers before being filled in over time through melt and retreat of their ice sheets, with their mouth opening into the ocean being known as a mouth of the fjord – often shallower than its interior regions.
An ocean fjord typically receives both saltwater from the sea or oceans and freshwater from upstream rivers and glacial melt. Thanks to their steep walls on three sides, these natural wonders can reach incredible depths; Norway’s Sognefjord for instance has reached 4,290 feet below sea level!
Fjords can form on mountain ranges that do not contain glaciers, such as Greenland. Greenland boasts the world’s longest fjord, Kangerlussuaq, which runs alongside Spitsbergen Island on its western coast. Fjords can also be found in Iceland, Russia’s Kamchatka and Novaya Zemlya islands, New Zealand and Chile.
Most fjords in the world can be found in mountainous regions, though some can even be found near rivers.
Fjords have an enchanting and picturesque appearance that draws visitors in like no other natural feature can. Commonly referred to as Norway of the North or natural wonders due to their breathtakingly stunning scenery, fjords remain relatively unspoiled by human development – which attracts many visitors who visit them year-round – some are drawn in just by being close or simply interested in experiencing their beauty and adventure; others view fjords as places filled with hidden surprises that offer something different every time they visit one!
Size
Fjords can have widths similar to lakes or oceans and extend up to 350 km inland, often surrounding towering mountains with waterfalls, rivers, forests, pastureland and more. Some of the most well-known fjords can be found in Norway – Lysefjord, Geirangerfjord and Naeroyfjord are popular examples.
As glaciers carved fjords from bedrock, they created long U-shaped valleys in which water could collect, which later filled into fjords as soon as the glaciers melted and the glaciers receded. Because of the steep cutting action of glaciers, most fjords are much deeper than nearby seas; some narrow ones even rise up towards the skyline while others become bays or enclosed oceans.
Western Norway’s fjords are well known for their beauty and natural resources. Home to numerous marine species and frequented by cruise ships, these waters draw tourists year round.
Western Norway is famed for its majestic mountains and breathtaking landscapes, not to mention its numerous small villages and towns that make this region perfect for cruise vacations in Norway.
Western Norway fjords boast an abundance of glaciers. Many are over one mile thick and many were created through melting glaciers or snow-laden mountain runoff.
Depth
Fjord depth can provide us with valuable insight into its glacial history; melting glaciers often gouge deeply below sea level before filling in valleys with cold, freshwater. As such, it creates a distinct inlet into the ocean that is flanked by steep mountains and natural bridges – perfect conditions for the creation of fjords!
Greenland and Antarctica contain some of the deepest fjords in the world, with Scoresby Sund in Greenland and Skelton Inlet in Antarctica reaching depths greater than 6,342 feet below sea level. Their depth reveals the extent of glacial ice during the Pleistocene period/epoch when repeated glacial advances and retreats took place.
Glaciers are heavy, and as they melt, their weight causes the earth’s crust to rebound, raising landmasses above them, which results in a rise of landmasses above water that forms fjords with deeper depth than surrounding land. This distinguishes fjords from rias which are drowned valleys filled by rising seawater.
Fjords are distinguished by their distinct environmental conditions. Their cold, fresh waters contain essential nutrients needed for phytoplankton growth; in polar fjords such as those around West Antarctic Peninsula this nutrient-rich water leads to diatom blooms which provide food sources for local species.
Fjords can be found throughout mountainous regions near large bodies of water, particularly where westerly winds cause orographic lifting to elevate weather systems above seaside mountains and create abundant snowfall that feeds glaciers that eventually form fjords – as seen in Norway, Alaska, Canada, Greenland Chile New Zealand and Antarctica among many others.
Temperature
Temperature of Fjords Fjord temperatures depend on their surroundings climate. Fjords are most prevalent in mountainous regions where westerly marine winds cause orographic lift over seaside mountains and produce abundant snowfall to feed glaciers, such as Western Norway and Spain (Galicia), along with Puget Sound to Alaska coasts of North America as well as western and south-western coasts of New Zealand.
Fjords fed by meltwater from an ice sheet can support phytoplankton blooms essential to food chains; however, long-term reductions in meltwater outflow may cause imbalanced nutrient balances to change and cause changes to phytoplankton community composition and availability of essential nutrients for other species.
Fjords are also distinguished by relatively colder water temperatures due to the salt content found in glacier and ice sheet meltwater, which slows down melting rate for underlying sand and gravel deposits – this results in steeper beaches at lower latitudes than would otherwise exist.
Norway’s fjords offer visitors beautiful landscapes during the summer, when days are long and nights short – the ideal time for exploring their beauty. However, local climate variations vary drastically across their coastline, even within one country itself; due to factors like the Gulf Stream, which helps moderate coastal areas’ weather more than other latitudes at their same latitude; mountainous regions tend to experience colder temperatures with increased rain or snowfall.