West Greenland

West Greenland's Davis Strait coast has real, substantial tides by global standards. Nuuk (Godthåb) has a mean tidal range of approximately 2.5 m and a spring range reaching 3.2 m — semidiurnal with marked diurnal inequality. Ilulissat, 350 km north in Disko Bay, has a similar mean range of 2.4 m. Sisimiut sits between the two at 66.9°N. The tidal currents through the fjord entrances are strong: 1–3 knots in the narrows during spring ebb or flood. Sea ice is the dominant seasonal constraint — Disko Bay typically freezes from mid-December and breaks up late April to May, cutting off small-boat access to Ilulissat for four to five months. Even in summer, icebergs calved from the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier drift through the bay and fundamentally alter navigation planning.