Breiðamerkurjökull
Encyclopedia
Breiðamerkurjökull is an outlet glacier of the larger glacier of Vatnajökull
in southeastern Iceland
. Emerging as a tongue of the Vatnajökull, it ends in a small lagoon, known as Jökulsárlón
. Over time, it has gradually been breaking down.
As the icebergs break away from the tongue of the glacier, they drift slowly to the mouth of the lagoon and eventually join the ocean. They are stated to float in the deep lagoon for 5 years, which is 600 m deep and spreads over an area of 17 km². It was near the ring road till 35 years ago before retreating rapidly and forming the Jökulsárlón lagoon. The 752 m high Breiðamerkurfjall Glacier was enclosed by the Breiðamerkurjökull and Fjallsjökull before the drifting started and formed the Brejðrlan lagoon, which is not as dramatic as the Jökulsárlón lagoon.
The tongue of the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier is a major attraction for tourists. Tour operators conduct snowmobiles and jeep tours to visit the glacier along the winding iceberg studded Jökulsárlón Lagoon. The base station for visits to the area is at Joklasel, which is approached from Hofn. It is termed as Tourist Conveyor belt. While walking on the shore, the isolated big blocks of icebergs on the sand beaches can be seen.
The location has been used for many films and commercials. The glacier was used in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
as a stand-in for Siberia
.
between 1600 and 1900 AD, with cooler temperatures prevailing in these latitudes, the glacier advanced to about 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) from the coast at Jokulsa River. Since 1890, it has been retreating, retreating a total of 5.6 km (3.5 mi) during the 20th century. With temperatures rising between 1920 and 1965, changes started occurring in the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier tongue. In 1933 or 1934 a proglacial lake
or lagoon formed in the depression left where the retreating glacier had been. Since then, the lake, which is named Jökulsárlón, has grown larger as the glacier continues its retreat. In 1975, Jökulsárlón had an area of about 8 square kilometre; by 1998 its area was almost 15 square kilometre; and by 2004 it had grown to 17.5 square kilometre. By 2010 the lake was about 200 metres (656.2 ft) deep where the glacier snout was previously. Glacial moraines are exposed on both sides of the water. The tongue of the glacier floats in the lake and is calving into the water, producing floating iceberg
s of varying size.
According to another study, a scarp capped by the Breiðamerkurjökull lobe of the larger Vatnajökull glacier was formed into terraces and barriers, enclosed by lagoons, on the east coast. On the northern side the Jðkulsa river or lagoon emanating from the Breiðamerkurjökull, has its outlet to the sea and it has formed sand gravel barriers and the glacier front has retreated by 3 km in the period from 1945, 1965 and 1998.
Vatnajökull
Vatnajökull is the largest glacier in Iceland. It is located in the south-east of the island, covering more than 8% of the country.-Size:With an area of 8,100 km², Vatnajökull is the largest ice cap in Europe by volume and the second largest in area Vatnajökull is the largest glacier in...
in southeastern Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
. Emerging as a tongue of the Vatnajökull, it ends in a small lagoon, known as Jökulsárlón
Jökulsárlón
Jökulsárlón is the largest glacier lagoon or lake in Iceland. Situated in south eastern Iceland, at the head of the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier branching from the Vatnajökull, between Skaftafell National Park and Höfn, it evolved into a lagoon after the glacier started receding from the edge of...
. Over time, it has gradually been breaking down.
As the icebergs break away from the tongue of the glacier, they drift slowly to the mouth of the lagoon and eventually join the ocean. They are stated to float in the deep lagoon for 5 years, which is 600 m deep and spreads over an area of 17 km². It was near the ring road till 35 years ago before retreating rapidly and forming the Jökulsárlón lagoon. The 752 m high Breiðamerkurfjall Glacier was enclosed by the Breiðamerkurjökull and Fjallsjökull before the drifting started and formed the Brejðrlan lagoon, which is not as dramatic as the Jökulsárlón lagoon.
The tongue of the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier is a major attraction for tourists. Tour operators conduct snowmobiles and jeep tours to visit the glacier along the winding iceberg studded Jökulsárlón Lagoon. The base station for visits to the area is at Joklasel, which is approached from Hofn. It is termed as Tourist Conveyor belt. While walking on the shore, the isolated big blocks of icebergs on the sand beaches can be seen.
The location has been used for many films and commercials. The glacier was used in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is a 2001 adventure thriller film adapted from the Tomb Raider video game series. Directed by Simon West and starring Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft, it was released in U.S. theaters on June 15, 2001. The film was a commercial success...
as a stand-in for Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
.
History
The first settlers arrived in Iceland around 900 AD when the edge of the glacier tongue of Breiðamerkurjökull glacier was about 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) further north of the present location. During the Little Ice AgeLittle Ice Age
The Little Ice Age was a period of cooling that occurred after the Medieval Warm Period . While not a true ice age, the term was introduced into the scientific literature by François E. Matthes in 1939...
between 1600 and 1900 AD, with cooler temperatures prevailing in these latitudes, the glacier advanced to about 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) from the coast at Jokulsa River. Since 1890, it has been retreating, retreating a total of 5.6 km (3.5 mi) during the 20th century. With temperatures rising between 1920 and 1965, changes started occurring in the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier tongue. In 1933 or 1934 a proglacial lake
Proglacial lake
In geology, a proglacial lake is a lake formed either by the damming action of a moraine or ice dam during the retreat of a melting glacier, or by meltwater trapped against an ice sheet due to isostatic depression of the crust around the ice...
or lagoon formed in the depression left where the retreating glacier had been. Since then, the lake, which is named Jökulsárlón, has grown larger as the glacier continues its retreat. In 1975, Jökulsárlón had an area of about 8 square kilometre; by 1998 its area was almost 15 square kilometre; and by 2004 it had grown to 17.5 square kilometre. By 2010 the lake was about 200 metres (656.2 ft) deep where the glacier snout was previously. Glacial moraines are exposed on both sides of the water. The tongue of the glacier floats in the lake and is calving into the water, producing floating iceberg
Iceberg
An iceberg is a large piece of ice from freshwater that has broken off from a snow-formed glacier or ice shelf and is floating in open water. It may subsequently become frozen into pack ice...
s of varying size.
Monitoring
The complex nature of glacial advance or retreat has been monitored in the last several decades. A study by D. Evans, published in Geography Review in 2002, reported on monitoring of the Breiðamerkurjökull between 1903 and 1998. The Breiðamerkurjökull east lobe and central lobe retreated at a slower average rate (28 m per year) between 1980 and 1998 than in earlier periods when retreat rates were as high as 50 m per year for the east lobe and 67 m per year for the central lobe. Retreat of the Breiðamerkurjökull west lobe was more uniform, averaging about 30 m per year, except in the period from 1945–65 when the rate of retreat averaged 62.5 m per year.According to another study, a scarp capped by the Breiðamerkurjökull lobe of the larger Vatnajökull glacier was formed into terraces and barriers, enclosed by lagoons, on the east coast. On the northern side the Jðkulsa river or lagoon emanating from the Breiðamerkurjökull, has its outlet to the sea and it has formed sand gravel barriers and the glacier front has retreated by 3 km in the period from 1945, 1965 and 1998.
External links
- http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VBC-46KS2NR-1&_user=10&_coverDate=11%2F12%2F2002&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_origin=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1521353607&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=3b90594fe807408a478ee5556bab947b&searchtype=a The active temperate glacial landsystem: a model based on Breiðamerkurjökull and Fjallsjökull, Iceland]