Storm Over Storoen Island, Uummannaq Fjord, Greenland

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Uummannaq Fjord is a large fjord system on the west coast of Greenland, north of Disko Bay and well above the Arctic Circle. Its branching arms are hemmed in by steep, dark mountains and fed by glaciers flowing from the Greenland ice sheet, so the water is often crowded with icebergs and, for much of the year, locked under sea ice. Storøen, whose Danish name means "the big island," is one of the rugged, largely uninhabited islands in this maze of channels, its slopes rising sharply from the water. The region's main settlement is the town of Uummannaq, built on a small island beneath a distinctive heart-shaped mountain. Life in the surrounding villages has long depended on hunting seals and other marine mammals and on fishing, particularly for Greenland halibut. In winter, dog sleds still travel across the frozen fjord between communities. Weather here can change quickly. Clear, still days with brilliant light over the ice can give way to low cloud, wind and snow funnelling down from the mountains and the ice sheet. Summer brings the midnight sun and open water, while winter brings weeks of polar night. The area's dramatic landscape, sparse population and strong Inuit hunting traditions make it one of the most remote and striking parts of Greenland.