The Ålfotbreen

glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

is located in

Vestland Vestland is a Counties of Norway, county in Norway. The county is located in Western Norway, and its administrative centre is Bergen, where the executive and political leadership is based. The County governor (Norway), County Governor is based in ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. The glacier is located on the border of three municipalities in the

Nordfjord Nordfjord (—in contrast to Sunnfjord) is a traditional district in Vestland county, Norway. Geography The region is located in the northern part of Vestland county in Western Norway. It centers on the Nordfjorden and it comprises Stad Muni ...

region:

Bremanger Bremanger is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village of Svelgen is the administrative centre of the municipality. Other villages include Bremanger, Berle, Davik, Isane, Kalvåg, Svelgen, Rugsund, and Ålfoten. Bremanger is t ...

Kinn Kinn is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It was established on 1 January 2020. It is in the traditional districts of Nordfjord and Sunnfjord. The municipality is the only non-contiguous municipality in Norway since the municipality ...

, and

Gloppen Gloppen is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in the Counties of Norway, county of Vestland, Norway. It is located in the Districts of Norway, traditional district of Nordfjord. Gloppen is generally subdivided into three areas: Hyen ...

. It is located west of the village of

Hyen Straume or Hyen is a village in Gloppen Municipality in Vestland, Norway. The village lies near the southern end of the Hyefjorden near the mouths of the rivers Åelva and Hopelva. Straume is located about northeast of the lake Eimhjellevatn ...

, south of the village of

Ålfoten Ålfoten is a village in Bremanger Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located along the Ålfotfjorden, a branch of the main Nordfjorden and has a population of about 200. The village has an elementary school, a grocery st ...

, and east of the village of Svelgen. The glacier reaches an elevation of at its highest point. The area surrounding the glacier, closer to the Nordfjorden, is one of the wettest places in Norway, getting an average of of rainfall each year. The heavy precipitation keeps the glacier very healthy with an average thickness of . On 9 January 2009, the area surrounding the glacier, the glacier itself, and the nearby

Gjegnalundsbreen The Gjegnalundsbreen glacier is located in Vestland county, Norway. The glacier sits on the borders of the municipalities of Bremanger and Gloppen. The glacier sits on the eastern side of the tall mountain Blånibba, inside the Ålfotbreen ...

glacier, were preserved as a landscape protection area by the

Norwegian government The politics of Norway take place in the framework of a parliamentary, representative democratic constitutional monarchy. Executive power is exercised by the Council of State, the cabinet, led by the prime minister of Norway. Legislative power ...

. Mass balance measurements have been performed at the glacier since 1963 by the

Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate ( 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 resources and energy supply. Its mandate in ...

(NVE).

References

Glaciers of Vestland Gloppen Bremanger Kinn {{Vestland-geo-stub

See also

References