Seals on an iceberg in Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon

Jökulsárlón (literally glacial river lagoon) is a large glacial lake in southeast Iceland, on the edge of Vatnajökull National Park. Situated at... more

by RicardMN Photography

Title

Seals on an iceberg in Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon

Artist

RicardMN Photography

Medium

Photograph

Description

Jökulsárlón (literally "glacial river lagoon") is a large glacial lake in southeast Iceland, on the edge of Vatnajökull National Park. Situated at the head of the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, it developed into a lake after the glacier started receding from the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. The lake has grown since then at varying rates because of melting of the glaciers. It is now 1.5 km (0.93 mi) away from the ocean's edge and covers an area of about 18 km2 (6.9 sq mi). In 2009 it was reported to be the deepest lake in Iceland, at over 248 m (814 ft), as glacial retreat extended its boundaries. The size of the lake has increased fourfold since the 1970s. It is considered as one of the natural wonders of Iceland.

The only seals which stay around the coast of Iceland and produce their young in Icelandic waters are harbor seals (phoca vitulina) and grey seals (halichoerus grypus). Many other species often visit including harp, bearded and ring seals. An adult grey seal can easily weigh 300 kg and grow to 2.5 meters in length.

The mesmerizing and totally surreal iceberg-filled Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon is a seal habitat so taking a boat trip on the lagoon can often be a great way to see seals, surrounded by glorious Arctic scenery. Seals are sometimes seen at the nearby Diamond Beach, where they can even beach themselves on the shimmering icebergs, a truly astonishing and totally photogenic sight.

Jökulsárlón has been a setting for four Hollywood movies: A View to a Kill, Die Another Day, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and Batman Begins, as well as the reality TV series Amazing Race.

The first settlers arrived in Iceland around AD 870, when the edge of the tongue of Breiðamerkurjökull glacier was about 20 km (12 mi) further north of its present location. During the Little Ice Age between 1600 and 1900, with lower temperatures prevailing in these latitudes, the glacier had grown by up to about 1 km (0.62 mi) from the coast at Jokulsá River, by about 1890. When the temperatures rose between 1920 and 1965, the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier tongue rapidly retreated, continually creating icebergs of varying size, thus creating a lagoon in its wake around 1934–35. The lake is about 200 m (660 ft) deep where the glacier snout originally existed. Glacial moraines became exposed on both sides of the lake. In 1975, the lake was about 8 km2 (3.1 sq mi) in area and now it reportedly stands at 18 km2 (6.9 sq mi) at the edge of the glacier tongue. (Description from Wikipedia and adventures.is)

Uploaded

December 18th, 2018