Front position measurements 2021
This year's measurements showed glaciers retreating also in 2021.
Vetle Supphellebreen in Fjærland retreated 2 meters. Since 2011, the glacier has shrunk by 32 meters. The glacier lies in an area from 794 meters above sea level at the front, to just over 1700 meters above sea level in height. This is a slightly less well-known glacier glacier, compared to its "big brother" Store Supphellebreen, which lies to the west of the peaks that separate the two. Vetle Supphellebreen lies outside the mountain massif that belongs to Supphellenipa and Myrhaugsnipa. Supphellenipa can be glimpsed as a sharp spike a little to the left and far back in the picture.
Vetle Supphellebreen. Photo: Hallgeir Elvehøy (NVE) August 11, 2011.
Supphellenipa sticks up like a sharp nunatak through the glacier. Photo: Pål Hage Kielland (Norwegian Glacier Museum ), October 14, 2013.
The other glacier we measure, Haugabreen, has shrunk by 5 meters since last year and a total of 89 meters since 2013 when we started the measurements. The measurements of Haugabreen were reported on NRK, both online and in Dagsrevyen, on October 8 this year.
Haugabreen is located in Jølster, where the front is just under 900 meters above sea level, while the highest point of the glacier is almost 1800 meters above sea level. Haugabreen is an outlet from Norway's 8th largest glacier, Myklebustbreen.
Haugabreen. Photo: Pål Hage Kielland (Norwegian Glacier Museum ) October 7, 2021.
In other words, the trend of glacier melting continues, which is not surprising in a climate that is getting warmer. Other well-known glaciers in Jostedalsbreen National Park that have melted in 2021 include Austerdalsbreen in Veitastrond (-130 meters), Nigardsbreen in Jostedalen (-39 meters) and Brenndalsbreen in Stryn (-15 meters).
Austerdalsbreen. Photo: Pål Hage Kielland (Norwegian Glacier Museum ) September 5, 2021.
The consequences of glacier melting, for both nature and people, are being mapped through the JOSTICE research project, of which Norwegian Glacier Museum is a part. Our contribution, together with other visitor centers such as Jostedalsbreen National Park Center, Breheim Center and ViteMeir, is to disseminate knowledge from the project.