Results from glacier measurements in 2020
The Norwegian Glacier Museum & Ulltveit-Moe Center for Climate Science in Fjærland annually measures front changes on some local glaciers.
As part of a network with other glacier enthusiasts, we help NVE (Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate) monitor several glaciers. Front changes are measured on 30 to 40 glaciers around the country.
The glaciers for which the Norwegian Glacier Museum is responsible are Vetle Supphellebreen in Fjærland and Haugabreen in Jølster. The front of Vetle Supphellebreen decreased by 6 meters compared to the previous year and has melted a total of 30 meters since 2011. At Haugabreen, the front retreated 8 meters, which means a melting of 84 meters since 2013.
Haugabreen glacier in 2015 and 2020. The images show how more mountains are emerging around the glacier, especially the area marked with red circles in each image. In addition, a small lake is emerging in front of the glacier.
In the fall of 2020, NVE reported that there was a positive mass balance on several glaciers. The term mass balance says something about how much snow the glacier receives each year, versus how much ice and snow melts away. This can be compared to an accounting system, where you have income and expenses. The year 2020 was therefore a good year for the glaciers' accounts. This means that a lot of snow fell during the accumulation season, which usually lasts from November to April. The temperatures during the melting season, which typically lasts from May to October, in 2020 were unable to sufficiently consume the snow and ice on many of the glaciers to create a deficit.
If we look at the changes in glaciers over time, the retreat of the fronts shows that there is not enough snow to cover the deficit. This is the long-term trend for Norwegian glaciers in the 21st century.
The development of the front position of five selected glacier arms from Jostedalsbreen in the period 1899 - 2020. Nigardsbreen in Jostedalen, for example, has retreated almost 3 kilometers in about 120 years.
Glaciers continue to retreat
The Norwegian Glacier Museum & Ulltveit-Moe Center for Climate Science in Fjærland annually measures front changes on some glaciers in the area.
The Haugabreen glacier in Jølster retreated 6 meters, while the Vetle Supphellebreen glacier decreased by 22 meters. The glacier tongues have also melted a lot along the sides and have become thinner overall in recent years. This can be clearly seen, for example, from images of the Haugabreen glacier in 2015 and 2019.
Haugabreen in 2015 on the left and in 2019 on the right.
It is a bit sad to continue to communicate about these glaciers that are retreating and decreasing in size year after year. The temperature during the melting season increases and the normally large amounts of snow in winter are not enough to compensate for the mass loss from the glaciers.
The glacial melt has consequences that are important to focus on. Glaciers provide us with a stable water supply for renewable power generation and for irrigation in agriculture, they are a tourist attraction, they are in themselves natural masterpieces that provide qualities for living in the countryside and they can give us a lot of information about past climates. In other places in the world, glaciers are important as water sources for both drinking water and agriculture, and with bad news for glaciers, this is bad news for the people who depend on them.
Perhaps many of nature's great wonders, most notably glaciers, will be drastically altered or even disappear within a few generations. We who can see and experience glaciers today are witnesses to changes that are large and, not least, rapid from a geological perspective. It is the speed of the changes that is so frightening, and it is global warming due to human-made emissions of greenhouse gases and large-scale land changes that are the drivers of these changes.
The Norwegian Glacier Museum previously also measured the Bøyabreen and Store Supphellebreen in Fjærland. These are now being photographed and there are clear changes that can be captured with a camera.
The Bøya glacier in 1997 and 2019.
It is clear that these two glaciers have been important icons for tourism for over 150 years in Fjærland. Tourists came from far and wide to see and experience the magical ice. The landscape itself with the fjord and mountains is fantastic and unparalleled, and with the glaciers it has a high international quality. But without the glaciers, an important natural element could be lost. This is something that affects us all, whether we are tourists or local residents. By that I mean that we all contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and land changes on the planet, through our lifestyle with a lot of travel and consumption. We who work at the Norwegian Glacier Museum and with this communication experience that many of our visitors are concerned with reducing emissions and living more sustainably. How many climate summits in the UN will it take to actually reverse the trend, and is this possible?