Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Not only are glaciers a stunning tourist attraction, they also serve an important purpose
in Norway's economy: 15% of Norway's electricity derives from river basins below glaci-
ers.
Concerns about shrinking glaciers and ice sheets in the Arctic have taken on added ur-
gency in recent years as the impact of global warming takes hold. Some of Norway's glaci-
ers retreated by up to 2.5km in the 20th century, while glacial ice is also thinning at an
alarming rate. In 2013, for example, northern Norway experienced its hottest summer on
record, following on from above-average temperatures during much of the preceding dec-
ade, thereby accelerating the melting of Norway's glaciers. Inland glaciers are considered
to be at far greater risk than Norway's coastal glaciers. A few Norwegian glaciers have
grown in recent decades - the thickness of the ice on the Nigardsbreen glacier grew by
13.8m from 1977 to 2007, although it later retreated by 136m in the years to 2011.
Jostedalsbreen is mainland Europe's largest icecap and it feeds some of Norway's largest
glaciers, among them Nigardsbreen, Briksdalsbreen and Bødalsbreen. Another spectacular
example is Folgefonn, while central Norway's Jotunheimen National Park is home to 60
glaciers.
Glacier Hikes
Arctic North
If the fjords have drama, Norway's Arctic North has an irrevocable sense of mystery. From
Svalbard to the Arctic Highway that carries you north into Arctic Norway, Norway's far
north is rich in phenomena that seem to spring from a child's imagination.
The first thing you'll likely notice is the endless horizon that never quite seems to frame
a landscape of austere, cinematic beauty. Or perhaps what you'll remember most is the as-
