Norwegian glaciers melting at unprecedented rate
Over the past year, Norwegian glaciers have lost up to 10% of their thickness. Scientists warn that such a rapid melting rate has never been observed before. The primary culprits are snowless winters and increasingly hotter summers. The glaciers in the northern part of the country are the most threatened.
The Nigardsbreen glacier in the Sogn og Fjordane region of Norway, known for its picturesque descent directly into the lake, retreated by 138 feet in 2023, now hidden behind rocky mountainsides.
A year ago, thousands of tourists would sail boats to the glacier's edge to admire the meeting of ice and water. This year's hot summer has effectively ended that possibility.
Glaciers are melting faster than ever
The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) has published the latest data indicating an unprecedented rate of glacier melting.
According to Liss Andreassen, a glaciologist at NVE, the primary challenge lies in reduced snowfall during winter, followed by increasingly hot summers. The northern regions are experiencing the most significant changes, with less snow and ice accumulating in winter than what melts away during the summer months.
The most affected is the Engabreen glacier in the Nordland region, which retreated by 272 feet in 2023, accounting for one-fifth of the retreat recorded since 2014. The Austre Okstindbreen glacier in Nordland and Steindalsbreen in Troms have also shortened by 262 and 246 feet, respectively. The problem is impacting glaciers in southern Norway as well.
It's all due to lack of snow and hot summers
Until recently, western Norway was a safe haven for glaciers, thanks to heavy snowfalls brought by moist winds from the Atlantic. However, since 2020, winter precipitation has decreased significantly, and summers come earlier, are hotter, and last longer. The result is accelerated melting of the ice cover.
The Hardangerjøkulen glacier, known from the movie "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back," is also experiencing rapid melting. The ice thickness in areas where the film was shot has decreased by 49 feet since the beginning of the 21st century, and the glacier's front has retreated by over 1,509 feet.
"Each of our glaciers has lost an average of 656 feet in length over the past ten years, and this process will continue," states Hallgeir Elvehoy, a scientist at NVE.
2025 will be the International Year of Glacier Protection
In response to this alarming data, UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) have declared 2025 as the International Year of Glacier Protection. Starting next year, March 21 will be celebrated as Glacier Day.
Meanwhile, scientists from Rice University in Houston have compiled a list of "victims of the climate disaster"—glaciers that have already disappeared from the Earth's surface. From Norway, Breifonn and Juvfonne have been included, where, in 2017, the oldest ice in continental Europe was discovered, dating back 7,600 years.
