Jostedalsbreen or Jostedal Glacier, is the biggest
glacierA glacier is a perennial mass of ice which moves over land. A glacier forms in locations where the mass accumulation of snow and ice exceeds ablation over many years...
in continental
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
. It is situated in the county
Sogn og Fjordaneis a county in Norway, bordering Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, Buskerud, and Hordaland. The county administration is in the town of Hermansverk in Leikanger municipality while the largest town is Florø....
at the west coast of southern
NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
. There are however larger glaciers on the
SvalbardSvalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean north of mainland Europe, about midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. It consists of a group of islands ranging from 74° to 81° north latitude, and from 10° to 35° east longitude. The archipelago is the northernmost part of Norway. Three...
archipelago.
Jostedalsbreen lies in the municipalities of
LusterLuster is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative centre is Gaupne....
,
BalestrandBalestrand is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Balestrand....
,
JølsterJølster is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre is the village of Skei....
and
StrynStryn is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Nordfjord. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Stryn which had a population of 2,140 in 2007. The municipality is located along the innermost part of the...
. The highest peak in the area is
LodalskåpaLodalskåpa is the highest nunatak on Jostedalsbreen.First ascent may have happened in 1820 by Gottfried Bohr.The easiest route starts in Bødalen, up Brattebakken to the Bohr glacier...
at 2083 meters.
Jostedalsbreen has a total area of over 480 km².
Jostedalsbreen or Jostedal Glacier, is the biggest
glacierA glacier is a perennial mass of ice which moves over land. A glacier forms in locations where the mass accumulation of snow and ice exceeds ablation over many years...
in continental
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
. It is situated in the county
Sogn og Fjordaneis a county in Norway, bordering Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, Buskerud, and Hordaland. The county administration is in the town of Hermansverk in Leikanger municipality while the largest town is Florø....
at the west coast of southern
NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
. There are however larger glaciers on the
SvalbardSvalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean north of mainland Europe, about midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. It consists of a group of islands ranging from 74° to 81° north latitude, and from 10° to 35° east longitude. The archipelago is the northernmost part of Norway. Three...
archipelago.
Jostedalsbreen lies in the municipalities of
LusterLuster is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative centre is Gaupne....
,
BalestrandBalestrand is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Balestrand....
,
JølsterJølster is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre is the village of Skei....
and
StrynStryn is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Nordfjord. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Stryn which had a population of 2,140 in 2007. The municipality is located along the innermost part of the...
. The highest peak in the area is
LodalskåpaLodalskåpa is the highest nunatak on Jostedalsbreen.First ascent may have happened in 1820 by Gottfried Bohr.The easiest route starts in Bødalen, up Brattebakken to the Bohr glacier...
at 2083 meters.
Jostedalsbreen has a total area of over 480 km². The highest point is
Høgste BreakulenHøgste Breakulen is the highest point on the glacier Jostedalsbreen. Lodalskåpa and Brenibba are higher, but are not covered by the glacier, being nunataks.-External links:* -Further reading:...
1957 m above mean sea level. Branches of the glacier reach down into the valleys, for instance Bøyabreen in Fjærland and
Nigardsbreen||-||-||}Nigardsbreen is a glacier arm of the glacier Jostedalsbreen. Nigardsbreen lies nearby Gaupne in the Jostedal, Luster, in Sogn og Fjordane in Norway....
, both 300 m above sea level. The thickest part of the glacier is 600 meters. Jostedalsbreen has a length of a little more than 60 km and covers almost half of the national park.
Jostedalsbreen National ParkJostedalsbreen National Park is a national park in Norway that encompasses the largest glacier on the European mainland, Jostedalsbreen. Jostedalsbreen covers 487 km², and lies in the municipalities of Luster, Balestrand, Jølster and Stryn . The highest peak in the area is Lodalskåpa at 2,083 meters...
was established in 1991, covering 1,310 km².
There are three museums and also visitors centers, the
BreheimsenteretBreiheimsenteret lies in Jostedal by Gaupne, Norway. It is a museum and one of the three visitors centers of the Jostedalsbreen National Park and glacier Jostedalsbreen in Sogn og Fjordane in Norway....
in
JostedalJostedal is a former municipality that is now part of the Luster municipality , Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. Jostedal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . It was merged with Luster on 1 January 1963....
,
Jostedalsbreen nasjonalparksenterJostedalsbreen nasjonalparksenter lies near to Loen by Stryn. It is a museum and one of the three visitors centers of the Jostedalsbreen National Park and glacier Briksdalsbreen, Jostedalsbreen in Sogn og Fjordane, Norway.-External links:*...
in Oppstryn (
StrynStryn is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Nordfjord. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Stryn which had a population of 2,140 in 2007. The municipality is located along the innermost part of the...
) and
Norsk bremuseumNorwegian Glacier Museum is a museum in Fjærland, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway.There is information about the glacier Jostedalsbreen and the Jostedalsbreen National Park. Also the Ulltveit-Moe Climate Centre. Opened from April til October, daily....
in
FjærlandFjærland is a village in Sogndal municipality, along the Fjærlandfjord, in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. The Fjærlandfjord is a branch of Sognefjorden, the longest fjord in Norway....
.
The Jostedalsbreen has many glacier arms as the
Nigardsbreen||-||-||}Nigardsbreen is a glacier arm of the glacier Jostedalsbreen. Nigardsbreen lies nearby Gaupne in the Jostedal, Luster, in Sogn og Fjordane in Norway....
and Tunsbergdalsbreen in
JostedalJostedal is a former municipality that is now part of the Luster municipality , Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. Jostedal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . It was merged with Luster on 1 January 1963....
, the
BriksdalsbreenBriksdalsbreen is one of the most accessible and best known arms of the Jostedalsbreen glacier. Briksdalsbreen lies on the north side of the Jostedalsbreen, in Briksdalen , up the Oldedalen in Stryn municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It lies in the Jostedalsbreen National Park...
by
OldenOlden is a quasi-archaic English word meaning "old" or "ancient", as in "olden days".Olden may also refer to:*Olden, a place in Nordfjord in Norway.*Olden, Texas...
, the Bøyabreen by
FjærlandFjærland is a village in Sogndal municipality, along the Fjærlandfjord, in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. The Fjærlandfjord is a branch of Sognefjorden, the longest fjord in Norway....
, the Kjenndalsbreen by
LoenLoen is a village in Stryn municipality, Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is located in inner Nordfjord. Loen has a farming area called Sæten....
and Austerdalsbreen.
In 2006 the glacier arm
BriksdalsbreenBriksdalsbreen is one of the most accessible and best known arms of the Jostedalsbreen glacier. Briksdalsbreen lies on the north side of the Jostedalsbreen, in Briksdalen , up the Oldedalen in Stryn municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It lies in the Jostedalsbreen National Park...
lost 50 metres of ice in a few months. Below in the external links you can view this dramatic event. More recent measurements now show that Briksdalsbreen retreated 146 meters in 2006, and could be in danger of breaking away from the upper icefield. Ice climbing has now been terminated. This past winters heavy snowfalls on the icefield may save Briksdalsbreen. The photo to the right shows the glacier year 2003, and can be compared by clicking on the link below.
Nigardsbreen||-||-||}Nigardsbreen is a glacier arm of the glacier Jostedalsbreen. Nigardsbreen lies nearby Gaupne in the Jostedal, Luster, in Sogn og Fjordane in Norway....
is also a glacier arm nearby
GaupneGaupne is the administrative center of Luster municipality, in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. The population of the town in 2007 was 1,017.It is located between Jostedalsbreen glacier and the inner Gaupnefjord. It is near the Nigardsbreen glacier...
in the
JostedalJostedal is a former municipality that is now part of the Luster municipality , Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. Jostedal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . It was merged with Luster on 1 January 1963....
. You can go on guided glacier hikes here.
External links
Further reading
- Bjørn Wold, Leif Ryvarden
-Academic career:He was born in Bergen, and studied chemistry at the Norwegian Institute of Technology. In 1961 he ran for election as chairman of Student Society in Trondheim, albeit unsuccessfully. He eventually graduated with the siv.ing. degree, and later majored in botany at the University of...
"Jostedalsbreen, Norway's Largest Glacier", ISBN 82-7683-092-7.
- W.C. Slingsby "Norway: the Northern Playground", ISBN 1-904466-07-9.
- A. Dyer et al. "Walks and Scrambles in Norway", ISBN 1-904466-25-7.