One of the new waterfalls which was created at the edge of Morsárjökull glacier in Vatnajökull national park might be 228 meters high, as informal measuring by geologist Jón Vidar Sigurdsson.

If this is correct, the national park will not only boast the country’s largest glacier, Vatnajökull, and the country’s highest peak, Hvannadalshnjúkur, but also the country’s highest waterfall.

June 23 2011 - Eyjafjallajokull popular on Google
For one year ago, vulcano Eyjafjallajokull stopped erupting. In May this year Grimsvotn in Vatnajokull ice-cap erupted. Google is useful to measure how popular people or events are. Here are the results from Goolge about Icelands thirteen biggest Icelandic glaciers.
Grimsvotn was not world famous, when the eruption started, Grimsvotn had 137.000 results, but when the flight stopped because of ash clouds they reached 6.130.000 million Google results. Today results are 3.320.000 search results. It is 24 times more today material about Grimsvotn.

May 21 2011 - Eruption in Grimsvotn
Grimsvotn, covered by Vatnajokull ice-cap, Iceland's most active volcano has erupted, sending a plume of ash 54,000 feet into the air.

The subglacial eruption is the biggest since 1873 and ten times bigger than 2004, 1998 and 1996.

Grimsvotn's eruption, which was accompanied by small earthquakes, comes just one year after the Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted.

The ash in Eyjafjallajokull was persistent or unremitting and fine-grained.

The ash in Grimsvotn is more coarse and not as likely to cause danger as it falls to the ground faster and doesn't stay as long in the air as in the Eyjafjallajokull eruption.

The ash in Eyjafjallajokull was persistent or unremitting and fine-grained.

Small glacier outburst flood is expected because of melting ice but it will not damage road or bridge over Gígjukvísl on black Skeidararsandur.

May 20 2011 - Photo of Northern Lights in Iceland Wins Contest
A photograph taken by Stephane Vetter of the northern lights display in the winter sky above the Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon in south Iceland on March 10 won first place in the “Beauty of the Night Sky” in the second International Earth and Sky Contest held by The World At Night (TWAN).

The picture is described as “a dazzling green aurora [that] frames the arc of the Milky Way over Jökulsárlón,” as stated on the National Geographic website.

Organized by astronomy-education projects TWAN and Global Astronomy Month, the contest honors pictures that meet one of two criteria: "either to impress people on how important and amazing the starry sky is, or to impress people on how bad the problem of light pollution has become."

In total, ten winners were announced May 9 in either the "Beauty of the Night Sky" or "Against the Lights" category.

"Beauty of the Night Sky" photo

April 13 2011 - Jake Gyllenhaal in ‘Man vs. Wild’ on Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull
American actor Jake Gyllenhaal spent last weekend at the site of last year’s volcanic eruptions, Eyjafjallajökull glacier and Fimmvörduháls mountain range, in fierce weather to shoot an episode for the survival television series Man vs. Wild, hosted by English adventurer Bear Grylls on the Discovery Channel and Channel 4.

Gyllenhaal flew straight to Iceland from Rome where he was promoting his latest movie, Source Code. He is not the only film star who has starred in Man vs. Wild; it has also featured the survival strategies of US actors Ben Stiller and Will Ferrell, Fréttabladid reports.

“We can confirm that we were with Gyllenhaal and Grylls but I’d rather not comment any further on the story,” said Thór Kjartansson at the Icelandic production company True North which assisted the show’s crew on the glacier. “But they definitely got the wildest and best of Icelandic nature,” he added.

April 11 2011 - Paralyzed Hiker to Climb Iceland’s Highest Peak
Service representative Leifur Leifsson won’t let paralysis prevent him from conquering Hvannadalshnjúkur, Iceland’s highest peak, which lies on Öraefajökull, a sub-glacier of Vatnajökull, Europe’s largest glacier, and stretches 2,110 meters above sea level.

Leifsson is having a specially-equipped wheelchair developed which is scheduled to be finished at the end of May or early June, which is when he will embark on his adventure, Fréttabladid reports.

““I will climb it myself with my arm strength,” Leifsson said. He will travel with the members of the search and rescue team Flugbjörgunarsveit Reykjavíkur, who have made the climb before.

They will move an anchor with a winch 250 meters ahead of Leifsson at a time and he will pull himself towards it.

Feb 7 2011 - Renewed Tremors in Iceland’s Vatnajökull
Seismic activity was detected in the northwestern part of Vatnajökull glacier over the past few days and there is full reason to be on the alert, according to geology professor Páll Einarsson. More earthquake sensors are needed, he said.

The series of earthquakes occurred close to Kistufell and Bárdarbunga, which are among the most geologically active areas in the country.

“A few systems come together there. The largest is the Bárdarbunga system, which includes Veidivötn and Vatnaöldur and stretches way north of Dyngjujáls and west of Askja. Then there is the Grímsvötn system which lies further to the east,” Einarsson explained.

He said Bárdarbunga itself and a fissure swarm to the northeast of it seem to be the most active right now. Seismic activity has in fact been ongoing in the area since sensors were first placed there, peaking before the volcanic eruption in Gjálp in 1996.

Feb 5 2011 - Record breaking month, Januar
In last January, 22.000 tourists visited Iceland. It is best January and 18,5% increasing between January 2010. In table numbers of visitors to Iceland is published.

Tourists 2010 494.769 2000 302.900 1990 141.718 1980 65.921 1970 52.908 1960 12.086 1950 4.383

Feb 4 2011 - “For the best burger west of Vatnajökull..."
The Reykjavík Grapevine is free alternative magazine.The magazine covers everything Iceland-related, with a special focus on news-related events, human interest stories, music, culture and events. In last issue American Food was criticied.

"I enjoy a good burger, but I also value 45 minutes. And I already know that hands down, nothing can beat the reindeer burger at Hamborgarabúllan in Egilsstaðir. How close to Egilsstaðir would I be had I decided to drive there instead? Plus, my neighbourhood bodega already makes the best burger west of Vatnajökull, and it would be digested by now. So what is all of this buzz about? My name is called."

"For the best burger west of Vatnajokull, I know where to return. And like the savvy traveller."

November 5 2010 - Whale watching bomb!
The whale watching tours started in Höfn, In The Realm Of Vatnajokull, by Glacier Tours company. In following table you can see the growth in whale watching in Iceland. How will whaling affecting whale watching in the future?

Place WWC Pers. 1990 1 1 6 1991 1 1 100 1992 0 0 0 1993 1 1 150 1994 3 4 200 1995 6 8 2.200 1996 8 9 9.700 1997 10 13 20.540 1998 8 12 30.330 1999 7 10 35.250 2000 9 12 44.000 2001 10 12 60.550 2002 10 12 62.050 2003 10 12 72.220 2004 10 12 81.600 2005 10 12 81.600 2006 10 12 89.000 2007 9 10 100.000 2008 9 10 115.000 2009 9 10 125.000 Source: Björgvinsson, 1999, 2006; Hoyt, 1994b; Hoyt, 1995a; Data from SI and Icewhale

Nov 1 2010 - High Probability of Eruption, Scientist Says
Geophysicist Páll Einarsson says that all measurements indicate that the flood in Grímsvötn will be similar to the one in 2004. As the flood develops, the probability of an eruption will be high. Einarsson says that there is no reason to fear the flood or the eruption, ruv.is reports.

The flood was preceded by some earthquakes in Vatnajökull over past few days and scientists believe that water began flowing slowly from the crater on Thursday and has progressed since then. Einarsson says that the storm has rendered the equipment not as sensitive as it should have been when measuring the earthquakes. He says that this flood will not be among the biggest in history, but similar to the one in 2004.

In 2004 the flood peaked after five days and Einarsson says it is highly probable that an eruption will start then, just as happened in 2004. The conditions in Grímsvötn are exactly the same. The eruption in 2004 was small and harmless. This time should be no different.

July 1 2009 - Jökulsárlón now Iceland’s deepest Lake
Since the onrush of Breidamerkurjökull glacier, which resulted in up to 600-700 meters cracking and falling from it, Jökulsárlón has now become Iceland’s deepest lake.

Einar B. Einarsson, owner of excursion company Jökulsárlón recently sailed further towards the glacier than ever before, where he measured the depth of the water. It turned out to be 284 meters.

Until now, Öskjuvatn Lake has been considered to be Iceland’s deepest lake, at 217 meters. According to the Weather Bureau, measurements of the glacier had already suggested this depth, but after the onrush the lake has further deepened.

Feb 13 2008 - Iceland’s Glaciers Melting Faster than Expected
Every glacier in Iceland retreated last year except one, some by nearly 100 meters, according to new data from 47 National Energy Authority research stations located near glaciers across the country. The glaciers are retreating at an unusually high rate.

“We have never witnessed the glaciers retreating so quickly before,” National Energy Authority geologist Oddur Sigurdsson told Morgunbladid. Iceland’s glaciers have melted faster for the past ten years compared with the 1930s and 1940s when temperatures were also unusually high.

Sigurdsson said it is natural for glaciers to retreat or extend every year and the larger the glacier is, the further it jumps or slides back. Currently, land is being revealed which has been covered in ice since before 1550.

When the settlers arrived in Iceland in the 9th century AD, the climate was warmer than it is today. It then cooled gradually until the beginning of the 19th century, when the climate grew warmer again.

“It is safe to say that what the glaciers gained in volume [after the 16th century] has melted away during the past 100 years. In the 16th century the glaciers were similar in size to what they are now,” Sigurdsson said.

News archive from 2001 to 2007