How are glaciers in iceland changing?
Glaciers form where more snow accumulates over the year than melts during the summer. They are highly sensitive to temperature changes meaning that in a cooling climate, glaciers advance, and as climate warms, glaciers retreat.
Since the mid 1990s, glaciers in Iceland have retreated rapidly and glacier recession is one of the most obvious consequences of the warming climate in the country. Several small glaciers have disappeared during this period.
The warming climate is caused by human activity, mainly emissions of greenhouse gases due to the burning of fossil fuels. According to future scenarios regarding climate warming, many of the country’s glaciers and ice caps could be gone within the next 200 years.
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