The Island Chain at the Southwestern Edge of the Arctic Zone

The long island chain, stretching nearly 180 kilometers along the southwestern edge of the Arctic island zone, appears at first glance like a string of teeth and flat discs. The islands lie in an almost straight line, but upon closer inspection, one can see they form gentle curves — like a frozen wave sweeping through the sea.   Some of the islands are flat, as if sliced cleanly by a blade that removed their upper half. They resemble massive, immobile ice floes. Their edges are steep ice cliffs, some rising over fifty meters, others only five to eight meters high. Other islands are jagged, with rugged slopes reaching down into the water. In these places, rock occasionally glimmers through — the ice is merely a thin shell over the underlying formations.   Channels run between the islands — some wide, others narrow. In several, small rocks can be seen, washed by waves and barely visible at first glance. Small ice floes and chunks drift there as if held back by an invisible boundary. Even in channels without rocky spires, the ice only drifts up to a certain line. Only rarely does a floe or fragment cross this unseen threshold — as if something were holding it back.   On the jagged islands, birds have built their nests. Depending on the season, the atmosphere is either deathly silent or filled with deafening screeches. During nesting season, flocks circle above the sea and dive like arrows to snatch fish — a veritable bombardment from the sky.   Experienced sailors know this region from the tales of great expeditions more than a hundred years ago. In those stories, the island chain was considered the first major barrier to be overcome in order to reach the open, ice-free sea. There are only a few passages between the islands that are navigable by large ships. Most captains sailed around them — never seeking a way through.