Activity 2.2-Cyrosphere: Drangajökull, Iceland

 

My activity for declaration 2.2 is based upon the glacier Drangajokull in the West Fiords of lceland. Drangajökull is Iceland’s fifth largest glacier, the most northern part of Iceland.  The glacier’s highest peak, Jökulbunga, rises 925 m above sea level, Drangajökull is the only Icelandic glacier which lies entirely below 1000 m altitude and its lowest point is at around 140 m above sea level. Drangajokull is  known to act different in comparison to other countries. It goes through cycles of 50-60 years during which it grows and recedes. Only the first few years of the cycle are a growing period, followed by a receding period of several decades. Scientists have not been able to fully explain these periods, as they seem to be independent of weather and climate. The last period of growth came just after the year 2000. In a case study by the AGU journal Geophysical Research Letters used bacteria and algae preserved in lake sediments to reconstruct temperature changes over thousands of years. Researches used this study to test out current information and models of Iceland's past climate changes. This research allowed researches to forecast the extinction of the Drangajokull glacier. Based upon there finding as temperatures continue to rise the glacier could completely vanish by the year 2050. Understanding receding glaciers throughout the world is very prominent for the countries security and energy. Many dams throughout the county use hydroelectric energy and that is based on glacier-fed rivers that currently provides 73 percent of Iceland's electricity. Glaciers are crucial because glaciers act as natural reservoirs storing water to a frozen stated instead of behind the dam. Glaciers modify streamflow releasing the most runoff during the driest periods when all other water is scarce. I attached a current and older pictures of the Drangajokull for comparison . Although the future is not clear the glacier local authority are preparing continuously for the preparation. 

References 

Mbl.is (2020) Drangajökull glacier could be gone by 2050, mbl.is. mbl.is. Available at: https://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/nature_and_travel/2020/02/06/drangajokull_glacier_could_be_gone_by_2050/ (Accessed: February 4, 2023).

Drangajökull (2021) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drangaj%C3%B6kull (Accessed: February 4, 2023).