Jökulsárlón
| Jökulsárlón | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Coordinates | 64°04′13″N 16°12′42″W / 64.07028°N 16.21167°WCoordinates: 64°04′13″N 16°12′42″W / 64.07028°N 16.21167°W |
| Type | Glacial |
| Primary inflows | Breiðamerkurjökull glacier |
| Primary outflows | Atlantic Ocean |
| Basin countries | Iceland |
| Max. length | 1.5 km (0.93 mi) |
| Surface area | 18 km2 (6.9 sq mi) |
| Max. depth | 248 metres (814 ft) |
| Water volume | 2,500–3,000 hm3/s (0.60–0.72 cu mi/s) |
| Surface elevation | 0 m (0 ft), sea level |
Jökulsárlón (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈjœːkʏlsˌaurˌloun̥]; literally "glacial river lagoon") is a large glacial lake in southeast Iceland, on the edge of Vatnajökull National Park. 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. The lake has grown since then at varying rates because of melting of the glaciers. It is now 1.5 kilometres (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 metres (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 lake can be seen from Route 1 between Höfn and Skaftafell. It appears as "a ghostly procession of luminous blue icebergs".
Jökulsárlón has been a setting for four Hollywood movies: A View to a Kill, Die Another Day, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Batman Begins, as well as the "reality TV" series Amazing Race. In 1991 Iceland issued a postage stamp, with a face value of 26 kronur, depicting Jökulsárlón.
The tongue of the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier is a major attraction for tourists.
The first settlers arrived in Iceland around AD 870, when the edge of the tongue of Breiðamerkurjökull glacier was about 20 kilometres (12 mi) further north of its present location. During the Little Ice Age between 1600 and 1900, with cooler temperatures prevailing in these latitudes, the glacier had grown by up to about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from the coast at Jokulsá River, by about 1890. When the temperatures rose between 1920 and 1965, the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier tongue rapidly retreated, continually creating icebergs of varying size, thus creating a lagoon in its wake around 1934–35. The lake is about 200 metres (660 ft) deep where the glacier snout originally existed. Glacial moraines became exposed on both sides of the lake. In 1975, the lake was about 8 km2 (3.1 sq mi) in area and now it reportedly stands at 18 km2 (6.9 sq mi) at the edge of the glacier tongue.
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Wikipedia