The Glacial Lake Jökulsárlón [Part 8]

After a wonderful day spent driving through South Iceland and visiting the Black Beach Stokksnes we spent the night in Höfn. The next day we were back on the open road, ready for new sights. Next up was the Glacial Lake Jökulsárlón. The weather was a bit moody that morning, something that would change later on. When we arrived at the glacial lake, it was very cold. But the sights made up for it. 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.

This is only a part of our big travel series to Iceland

To view the other parts click here

Here is the location of the glacial lake covered in this post:

The lake 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). It recently became 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 Jökulsárlón lake provides outstanding views of the ice cap, a vast dome of ice that rises to a height of 3,000 ft (910 m). The huge blocks of ice that calve from the edge of Vatnajökull are about 30 m (98 ft) high, which fills the lagoon stocked with icebergs. Some icebergs appear naturally sculpted on account volcanic ash from ancient eruptions that partly covers them. It is accessible by the ring road, Route 1, that goes across the lake, and where parking facilities have been provided for visitors. It is also known as the "tourist conveyor belt". While walking on the shore, isolated large blocks of icebergs can be seen on the black sand beach We had a great time here, though it was freezing cold.

The icebergs that calve from the glacier edge move towards the river mouth and get entrenched at the bottom. The movement of the icebergs fluctuates with the tide currents, as well as being affected by wind. However, they start floating as icebergs when their size is small enough to drift to the sea. These icebergs are seen in two shades: milky white and bright blue, which depends on the air trapped within the ice and is an interplay of light and ice crystals

The lake is filled with fish that drift in from the sea along with the tides. Seals gather in large numbers at the mouth of the lake to catch fish during the winter. Large numbers of seabirds, particularly Arctic terns, which nest nearby, gather to catch herring, trout, salmon, and other fish and krill.

It was time to move on into warmer territories. Next up was a very strange and secluded waterfall and the Skaftafell National Park, that had us on a mountain trek for an hour. But more on that in the next part.

End of Part Eight

To be continued...

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