Site Description – Iceland (Preliminary response from Iceland, coordinated by Thorsteinn Thorsteinsson, Icelandic Meteorological Office)

Site Description – Iceland (Preliminary response from Iceland, coordinated by Thorsteinn Thorsteinsson, Icelandic Meteorological Office)
The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) operates more than 200 weather stations and 170 hydrometric stations throughout the country. Snow thickness measurements are regularly performed at manned stations and more detailed monitoring of snow cover is carried out in regions where avalanche hazards are present. Hazards related to subglacial volcanism are also monitored by real-time seismological stations, GPS stations and radar systems. Relevant parts of this network could be configured to serve the needs of the CryoNet station network.

 

In addition, Iceland offers to define a key location within the 8000 km² Vatnajökull ice cap as a GCW-supersite. The Icelandic Glaciological Society has for the past 60 years conducted annual expeditions to the Grímsvötn region in Vatnajökull, known for persistent subglacial volcanic and geothermal activity and resulting hazardous glacial outburst floods (jökulhlaups). In cooperation with IMO and the University of Iceland, comprehensive monitoring of glacier mass balance, subglacial water level, glacier surface meteorology, seismic activity and isostatic movements is carried out at this site. A well-equipped hut that can house up to 20 scientists and technicians is present at Grímsvötn, and advanced logistics – including heavy transport by snow-tractors – can be operated in the region.

 

Subglacier water flow is now recognised as one of the most important physical processes that affect the flow of ice sheets and glaciers. Iceland offers a natural laboratory for studying glacier hydrology with its extensive network of hydrometric stations in glacier rivers and easily accessible glaciers for various field studies. Data collected on jökulhlaup floods from Grímsvötn and nearby locations on Vatnajökull were crucial for the development of modern theories of subglacial water flow in tunnels at the base of glaciers and ice sheets. New efforts within the framework of GCW-CryoNet could build on this legacy, by supporting new measurement programs and theoretical studies related to the melting, storage and flow of subglacial meltwater beneath Vatnajökull. Such studies would tie in with ongoing monitoring of subglacial volcanism, research on the effect of atmospheric warming on ice-cap mass balance and with studies of the biology of subglacial water bodies beneath Vatnajökull, one of few ice masses on Earth besides Antarctica that host subglacial lakes.