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ICELAND'S
RECEDING GLACIER
Remote sensing
is providing an excellent way to measure the changes in glaciers
over time. The Landsat satellite series has captured the recession
of a glacier on Iceland’s largest ice cap over almost a 30
year time period.
The Breidamerkurjökull
(brathe-a-mer-ker-yokull,) an outlet glacier on the Vatnajökull
(vat-na-yokull) ice cap, has receded by as much as 2 km since
1973.
Though ground
measurements continue to be taken, and are more accurate,
the Landsat satellite gives wider coverage and fills in the
gaps where ground measurements are not performed.
 1973
(left) and 2000 (shown right)
For
an animation of the receding glacier from 1973 to 2000, click
here
BREIDAMERKURJöKULL
1973-2000
Images
from Landsat 1 on September 22, 1973 and Landsat 7 on September
23, 2000 show the almost two kilometer (1.2 mile) recession
of the Breidamerkurjökull over the 27 year period. You can
see the creation of icebergs in the lake in front of the glacier.
In these scenes, bare glacier ice surfaces appear bluish-white,
while those covered in snow are bright white. Water surfaces
are dark blue and land surfaces appear reddish.
For
an animation of the receding glacier from 1997 to 2000, click
here
BREIDAMERKURJöKULL
1997-2000
A
closer-in view of the Breidamerkurjökull shows the changes
over a three year time period, between 1997 and 2000 (Landsat
5 on August 13, 1997, to September 23, 2000 from Landsat 7).
The endpoint, or terminus, of the glacier shows the most obvious
change.
Satellite
remote sensing technology represents a feasible way of measuring
and monitoring changes in the area of ice caps.
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