Front position measurements 2021
This year's measurements showed that the glaciers were retreating in 2021 as well.
Vetle Supphellebreen in Fjærland retreated 2 meters. Since 2011, the glacier has decreased 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 altitude. This is a slightly lesser-known glacier, compared to its “big brother” Store Supphellebreen, which lies west of the peaks that separate the two from each other. Vetle Supphellebreen lies east of the mountain massif that belongs to Supphellenipa and Myrhaugsnipa. Supphellenipa can be glimpsed as a sharp spike slightly to the left and far in the back of the image.
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 are measuring, Haugabreen, has decreased 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 8th of 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, namely Myklebustbreen.
Haugabreen. Photo: Pål Hage Kielland (Norwegian Glacier Museum) October 7, 2021.
The trend of glacier melting continues, which is not surprising with a warming climate. Other well-known glaciers in Jostedalsbreen National Park that have melted again 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 the melting glacier, for both nature and humans, are being mapped through the research project JOSTICE , of which the Norwegian Glacier Museum is a part. Our contribution, together with other visitor centers such as Jostedalsbreen National Park Center, the Breheim Center and ViteMeir, is to disseminate the knowledge from the project.