The climate of Iceland is dependent upon a process of all the things
that bring the Earth to life, and a major factor is the push of the warm
Gulf Stream.
Ponce de Leon received a royal contract in 1512 which gave him
Spanish authority to search for the islands of Benimy. No such islands
existed, but he did discover Puerto Rico, and in 1513 he set sail from
there to discover a land farther north—what is now Florida, USA. On that
voyage, the famous explorer encountered an ocean current that stopped
the forward progress of his ships. The current was more powerful than
the wind. Two hundred years later, Benjamin Franklin, in talking with
whalers and naval captains, surmised the Trade Winds “piled up” the
ocean’s surface in the Caribbean Sea, and even drew a map depicting the
collision of the Trade Winds (which move west) with the Westerlies
(which move east). Franklin’s theory was seconded by Sir John Herschel,
one of the world’s great polymaths.
Photo: Gréta
Glacier Walk With Icelandic Mountain Guides
One hundred years later, Commander M.F. Maury, an American
oceanographer and director of the U.S. Naval Observatory and
Hydrographic Office, determined a different conclusion. He believed wind
did play a factor in the ocean currents, but he determined it was a
matter more complicated than just a “collision” of winds. He was
correct, and it took another hundred years to discover that the Gulf
Stream results from effects of the Sun’s gravity and solar heating,
temperatures at the north and south poles of the Earth, the revolution
of the Earth upon its axis, ocean temperature, air pressure, and changes
in air movement.
It is indeed, a complicated matter, but the Gulf Stream does follow a
pattern. In the Northern Hemisphere it moves objects headed north
toward the east, and moves objects headed south toward the west.
Essentially, the Gulf Stream is a “river of water” in the ocean. It
originates off the coast of Florida and flows north, until it splits in
two just above the forty-fifth parallel. At the split, it becomes the
North Atlantic Drift, one branch flowing toward Iceland, the other
toward the continent of Europe.
Changes in the Gulf Stream effect changes in Iceland’s climate. A
strong Gulf Stream warms the North Atlantic Drift which flows along the
southeast coast of Iceland, and keeps the west side of the island a few
degrees warmer than the northeast side, which is cooled by the Iceland
and Greenland ocean currents flowing from the Arctic. Fluctuations in
the strength of the Gulf Stream determine how much affect the Arctic
flows will have on Iceland’s climate. A strong Gulf Stream decreases the
cold ocean and air flows from the north, thus temperatures rise across
the island.
During the 1950s, mean temperatures around Iceland dropped, and
continued downward until the 1970s. In the mid-70s, temperatures in
Iceland rose, and the glaciers began to recede — and continue to shrink
enough that people notice. Many scientists argue it is because of global
warming, and a warmer than usual Gulf Stream melting the ice of the
Arctic.
Folks in Myvatn, however, might disagree. Northeast Iceland saw one
of its harshest winters in 2013, and an abnormally wet spring. But on
August 5, 2015, authorities in Iceland issued a “level of uncertainty”
warning at Sólheimajökull, an outlet glacier of the larger Myrdalsjökull
glacier in south Iceland. Sólheimajökull had risen 1.5 meters (5 feet)
in a few days, and there was fear that a big chunk of it might break
away and cause tidal surges in the surrounding lakes. Melting ice tends
to break, and in Iceland that wreaks havoc. Two days later, however, the
warning was cancelled.
At Icelandic Mountain Guides, we can lead you on our safe and easy two-hour Sólheimajökull Glacier Walk (and many other great day tours),
so you can discover first-hand the ever-changing nature of a glacier,
with the thrill of deep ice crevasses and the beauty of blue ice
sculptures — two of the main geologic formations that make Iceland’s
landscape a wonder to behold.
Quick Facts:
The Gulf Stream ranges 100 km (62 mi) wide and 800 – 1,200 m (2,600 – 3,900 ft) deep.The velocity of the current travels faster near the surface, 2.5 meters per second (8.2 feet per second, or 6 mph). (Normal ocean currents range from 1 – 04 m/s.)The volume of water of the Gulf Stream is greater than the volume of
water from the all rivers of the world which flow into the ocean.