A series of photos, taken by Guðmundur Ögmundsson, Skaftafell National Park manager in the past five years, shows in a striking way how Skaftafellsjökull glacier, an outlet glacier from Vatnajökull glacier, has receded, RÚV reports. In his photo from 2012, part of the glacier is easily visible behind the hill, east of the service center at Skaftafell, Southeast Iceland, but in a photo taken a few days ago, that part of it has disappeared.
“You feel certain nostalgia when looking at the photos,” Guðmundur remarked. “I’ve been there for more than six years and took the first photo in the middle of February, 2012.” He continued, “In fact, I took the first photo by chance, while trying out a new lens I had acquired. Sometime later, when looking at the photo, it occurred to me to go to the same place in a year and take the same kind of photo to see the difference.”
“All the photos are taken at a similar time of year, using the same lens and, actually, the same camera, and it’s clear what’s taking place. Outlet glaciers can move forward or recede from year to year, but in this case, the thinning is obvious,” Guðmundur stated.
You can watch the series of photos here.
