Svartisen is a collective term for two

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...

s located in

Nordland Nordland (; smj, Nordlánnda, sma, Nordlaante, sme, Nordlánda, en, Northland) is a county in Norway in the Northern Norway region, the least populous of all 11 counties, bordering Troms og Finnmark in the north, Trøndelag in the south, N ...

county in northern

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. It is part of Saltfjellet-Svartisen National Park, located in the

Saltfjell Saltfjellet is a mountain area in Nordland county, Norway that separates the two regions of Helgeland and Salten. It is also a cultural border between the Southern and Central parts of Sápmi. Geography and environment The Saltfjell is one of t ...

mountain range. The glaciers are located in the municipalities of

Beiarn Beiarn is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Salten. Beiarn is also a part of the Bodø Region, a statistical metropolitan region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of ...

Meløy Meløy is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ørnes. Other villages include Eidbukta, Neverdal, Glomfjord, Halsa, Reipå, Stø ...

Rana Rana may refer to: Astronomy * Rana (crater), a crater on Mars * Delta Eridani or Rana, a star People, groups and titles * Rana (name), a given name and surname (including a list of people and characters with the name) * Rana (title), a histori ...

, and

Rødøy Rødøy is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vågaholmen. Other villages include Gjerøy, Jektvika, Kilboghamn, Melfjordbot ...

. Svartisen consists of two separate glaciers that are separated by the long Vesterdalen valley. The two glaciers are: * Vestisen or Vestre Svartisen ("western Svartisen") has an area of which makes it the second largest glacier on the Norwegian mainland after the

Jostedalsbreen Jostedal Glacier or is the largest glacier in continental Europe. It is in Vestland county in Western Norway. Jostedalsbreen lies in the municipalities of Luster, Norway, Luster, Sogndal, Sunnfjord (municipality), Sunnfjord, and Stryn. The high ...

glacier. (There are larger glaciers on

Svalbard Svalbard ( , ), also known as Spitsbergen, or Spitzbergen, is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. North of mainland Europe, it is about midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole. The islands of the group range ...

.) * Østisen or Østre Svartisen ("eastern Svartisen") has an area of which makes it the country's fourth largest glacier. There are also a number of minor glaciers in the area surrounding Svartisen, such as Glombreen in the northern part of

, and

Simlebreen Simlebreen ( Lule Sámi: ''Vátjamjåkjiehkke'') is a glacier in Beiarn, Nordland, Norway. The glacier lies about North of the much larger glacier named Svartisen, making it the 18th largest glacier on the Norwegian mainland. However a 2018 st ...

. One of the outlet glaciers of Svartisen,

Engabreen Svartisen is a collective term for two glaciers located in Nordland county in northern Norway. It is part of Saltfjellet-Svartisen National Park, located in the Saltfjell mountain range. The glaciers are located in the municipalities of Beiarn ...

ends at the lowest point of any glacier on the European mainland, at

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

(in 2007). The

Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate ( no, Norges vassdrags- og energidirektorat or NVE) is a Norwegian government agency established in 1921. It is under the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy and regulates the country's water reso ...

has monitored the

glacier mass balance Crucial to the survival of a glacier is its mass balance or surface mass balance (SMB), the difference between accumulation and ablation (sublimation and melting). Climate change may cause variations in both temperature and snowfall, causing c ...

of the glacier since 1970 and operates a sub-glacial laboratory beneath Engabreen. Water from the glacier is collected and used for

hydropower Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, converting the Pot ...

production via runoff into the streams and lakes and through intakes bored beneath Engabreen.

Name

The first element is ''svart'' which means 'swart' or 'black' and the last element is the finite form of ''is'' meaning 'ice' or '

'. The old ice of the glacier is considerably darker than fresh ice and newfallen snow.

Western Svartisen

The western Svartisen

ice cap In glaciology, an ice cap is a mass of ice that covers less than of land area (usually covering a highland area). Larger ice masses covering more than are termed ice sheets. Description Ice caps are not constrained by topographical features ...

is a

occupying of the coastal area of central Norway, just inside the

Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at w ...

. Most of the glacier is around 1000 metres above sea level on a high

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...

. The ice cap owes its existence to the high snowfall rates in the region, rather than the cold temperatures, similar to other glaciers close by such as the Jostedalsbreen glacier. The surface on the top of the plateau feeds many

outlet glacier Glacier morphology, or the form a glacier takes, is influenced by temperature, precipitation, topography, and other factors. The goal of glacial morphology is to gain a better understanding of glaciated landscapes and the way they are shaped. Ty ...

s, including the Engabreen glacier. The status of the glacier is unknown, although some of the outlet glaciers are advancing and gaining ice mass.

Media gallery

Svartisen-frå-havet.JPG, Svartisen from seaside Svartisen Luftbild.jpg, Aerial view Holandsfjord.png, Holandsfjord where the glacier get closer to the sea than any other glacier in Europe (apart from Svalbard). Melöy IMG 4806 svartisen glacier haalandsfjorden bjärangsfjorden.JPG, Aerial view Svartisen.jpg, Glacier heading towards the water Engabreenluft.JPG, Engabreen seen from the air Svartisen water.jpg, Body of water next to the glacier

References

External links

Direktoratet for naturforvaltning
{{authority control Glaciers of Nordland Ice caps Beiarn Meløy Rana, Norway Rødøy

Name

Western Svartisen

Media gallery

See also

References

Further reading

External links