Norway is home to numerous glaciers, each contributing uniquely to its landscape and environment. Let's delve into the details you're interested in:
Norway hosts over 1,600 glaciers, varying in size and type across its mountainous regions. Some of the named glaciers include:
Norwegian glaciers encompass various types, each shaped by specific geological processes and characteristics:
Each type of glacier has distinct features and processes, including:
The age of glacier ice can sometimes be estimated by its density and clarity, but precise dating usually requires more complex methods like isotopic analysis. Norway's glaciers have been forming and receding over geological time, influenced significantly by climate changes.
As Norwegian glaciers retreat due to climate change, artifacts and human remains have been revealed, offering insights into ancient human activities and environments. Research on Norwegian glaciers contributes crucial data to climate science, monitoring changes in ice mass, sea level rise, and global climate trends.
Norwegian glaciers offer a range of recreational activities:
Several companies offer guided glacier tours and climbing expeditions in Norway, providing safe and educational experiences amid stunning glacial landscapes.
Exploring Norway's glaciers not only offers recreational opportunities but also fosters an appreciation for the dynamic forces shaping our planet's climate and geography.
While onshore exploration is common at some locations, not all glaciers visited by cruise ships offer this opportunity. However, those that do provide guided tours, glacier walks, and hiking options.
Regarding calving, while many of Norway's glaciers do not calve as dramatically as those in places like Alaska, some tidewater glaciers do experience calving, where chunks of ice break off into the fjord. The sight is awe-inspiring, though less frequent in Norway compared to other regions known for glacial calving.
Wildlife can often be spotted near these fjord glaciers, including:
Norway does not control glaciers or ice sheets near the North Pole or in the South Atlantic Ocean, but it does have jurisdiction over certain territories in the Arctic and the Southern Ocean regions. Here's a breakdown of Norway's control in these areas:
Svalbard Archipelago: Norway administers the Svalbard archipelago, located in the Arctic Ocean, under the Svalbard Treaty of 1920. This group of islands, which includes the largest island, Spitsbergen, is home to several glaciers. The Svalbard region is one of the northernmost inhabited areas in the world, but it is not directly at the North Pole.
Jan Mayen: Another Arctic territory under Norwegian control is Jan Mayen, an isolated volcanic island in the Norwegian Sea. It has some glacier-covered areas, although it is much smaller and less significant compared to Svalbard.
Bouvet Island: Norway has sovereignty over Bouvet Island, an uninhabited volcanic island located in the South Atlantic Ocean. This island is covered by glaciers but is remote and largely inaccessible.
Queen Maud Land: In Antarctica, Norway claims Queen Maud Land, a portion of the Antarctic continent, under the Antarctic Treaty System. This area is primarily covered by ice sheets and glaciers. However, the Antarctic Treaty, which Norway is a signatory to, prohibits new claims of sovereignty and ensures that the area is used for peaceful purposes and scientific research.
Norwegian Sea: The Norwegian Sea lies to the northwest of Norway and is part of the Arctic Ocean. Norway controls several islands in this region, including the Lofoten Islands and parts of the Barents Sea. However, these areas are not home to large ice sheets or glaciers comparable to those found in Svalbard or Antarctica.
In summary, Norway has jurisdiction over glaciers and ice-covered territories in the Arctic (Svalbard and Jan Mayen) and the Antarctic (Queen Maud Land), as well as Bouvet Island in the South Atlantic. However, it does not control glaciers or ice sheets directly at the North Pole or in other regions beyond these territories.
PHOTO_YEAR
Description: The 4-digit year of the photograph used for measurements of Norway glacier parameters. Note: If more than one photograph were used, the most relevant year is recorded here; and the others used are recorded in the REMARKS field. In general, the Norway glaciers outlines; and hence, the values for area and length; were determined from Norway aerial photographs, so we recommend using the PHOTO_YEAR for glacier area values.
No Data Value: Null
Example: 1976
MAX_ELEV
Description: Maximum elevation of the highest point of the Norway glacier in meters above sea level, up to 4 digits.
No Data Value: Null
Example: 3962
MEAN_ELEV
Description: The mean elevation is the altitude of the contour line, in meters above sea level, that halves the area of the glacier, up to 4 digits.
No Data Value: Null
Example: 3170
MIN_ELEV
Description: The minimum elevation of the lowest point of the glacier in meters above sea level, up to 4 digits.
No Data Value: Null
Example: 1590
FORM
0 Miscellaneous Any type not listed below.
1 Compound Basins Two or more individual valley glaciers issuing from tributary valleys and coalescing.
2 Compound Basin Two or more individual accumulation basins feeding one glacier system.
3 Simple Basin Single accumulation area.
4 Cirque Occupies a separate, rounded, steep-walled recess which has formed on a mountain side.
5 Niche Small glacier in a V-shaped gully or depression on a mountain slope; generally more common than genetically further-developed cirque glacier.
6 Crater Occurring in extinct or dormant volcanic craters.
7 Ice Apron Irregular, usually thin ice mass which adheres to mountain slopes or ridges.
8 Group A number of similar ice masses occurring in close proximity to one another but are too small to be assessed individually.
9 Remnant Inactive, usually small ice masses left by a receding Norway glacier.
FRONT_PROF:
0 Miscellaneous Any type not listed below.
1 Piedmont Ice field formed on a lowland area by lateral expansion of one or coalescence of several glaciers.
2 Expanded Foot Lobe or fan formed where the lower portion of the glacier leaves the confining wall of a valley and extends on to a less restricted and more level surface.
3 Lobed Part of an ice sheet or ice cap, disqualified as an outlet glacier.
4 Calving Terminus of a glacier sufficiently extending into sea or lake water to produce icebergs; includes- for this inventory- dry land ice calving which would be recognizable from the "lowest glacier elevation."
5 Confluent Coalescing, non-contributing.
6 Irregular, mainly clean ice (mountain or valley glaciers).
7 Irregular, mainly debris-covered (mountain or valley glaciers).
8 Single lobe, mainly clean ice (mountain or valley glaciers).
9 Single lobe, mainly debris-covered (mountain or valley glaciers).
SRC_NOURSH:
0 Unknown
1 Snow
2 Avalanches
3 Superimposed ice
TONGUE_ACT:
0 Uncertain
1 Marked retreat
2 Slight retreat
3 Stationary
4 Slight advance
5 Marked advance
6 Possible surge
7 Known surge
8 Oscillating
TOTAL_AREA:
The total area of the glacier in a horizontal projection in square kilometers.
AREA_ACY:
Area Accuracy Ratings
Rating Accuracy (%)
1 0 - 5
2 5 - 10
3 10 - 15
4 15 - 30
5 > 30
AREA_IN_ST:
The total area of the Norway glacier that resides in the political state concerned in a horizontal projection in square kilometers.
AREA_EXP:
The area of the exposed ice of the glacier in a horizontal projection in square kilometers.
MEAN_WIDTH:
The mean width of the Norway glacier in a horizontal projection in kilometers.
MEAN_LENGT:
Mean length of the Norway glacier in a horizontal projection in kilometers.
MAX_LENGTH:
Maximum length of the Norway glacier in kilometers measured along the most important flowline in a horizontal projection.
MAX_LEN_EX:
Maximum length, in kilometers, of the exposed ice of the glacier in a horizontal projection.
MAX_LEN_AB:
Maximum length, in kilometers, of the ablation area of the Norway glacier in a horizontal projection.
Source: World Glacier Inventory
Map Copyright CCCARTO 2024