Conservation, Habitats on the Edge, Nature, World
Icelandic Waters
Sep
Icelandic Waters
By: Katelin Kukk
Photographs by Andy Mumford of Lisbon, Portugal
Iceland, formed by volcanic activity approximately 70 million years ago, is an island of stunning beauty, showcasing mystic-looking mountains and ancient glaciers. Even its river systems are breathtaking, though they are less often written about. The island is plentiful with unpolluted freshwater, which melts from the glaciers and flows down the mountains. Runoff from these magnificent glaciers has sculpted the land into rivers, serving as a reminder of the natural processes that have shaped and continue to form the landscape. Remarkably, there were very few native animals living on the island back in ancient times.
The first inhabitants of Iceland, long before human settlement, were birds and whales. The oldest marine fossil discovered in Iceland is a whale skull from the Pliocene epoch, found in the Tjörnes Formation. On the other hand, the only native land mammals were arctic foxes. They crossed over on the sea ice that formed during the last ice age, but were trapped when the ice melted 10,000 years ago. These foxes managed to sustain themselves on birds, vegetation, and other small food sources. The rest of the land animals were brought to Iceland by some of the first human settlers.
The first human inhabitants of Iceland are thought to have been Irish monks, who fled Iceland once Vikings arrived around 870 AD. Ingólfr Arnarson is traditionally known as the first Norse settler in Iceland, arriving around 870 AD. These reports are documented in the “Book of Settlements” and “The Book of the Icelanders.”. About 60 years later, between 10,000 to 20,000 people from Norway, Ireland, and the Scottish Isles settled in Iceland, marking this a significant historical event. They soon discovered how amazing and unique Iceland’s ecosystem truly is.
This island’s unique ecosystem, shaped by its continued volcanic activity and unforgiving environment, holds a variety of wildlife. A plethora of marine animals, including seals, fish, whales, and porpoises, reside within Iceland’s gorgeous waters. They not only interact with each other, but also with land animals. Orcas are known to feed on everything from fish to birds, while the Arctic fox may scavenge on seal carcasses. Birds also play a crucial role in the ecosystem, providing food sources for other animals. This web of interactions is an important but fragile system, with the risk of collapsing if one organism were to disappear. Likewise, climate change might be the cause of a future collapse.
With anticipated climate change, temperatures are rising, causing glaciers to start melting and triggering problems within Iceland. Glaciers are of high importance, exerting pressure on the ground beneath and a gravitational pull on the surrounding ocean. Once glaciers melt, that gravitational pull and pressure weakens, and the land rises, causing water to flow to the other side of the world. Researchers have noticed that the land is increasing by 1.7 centimeters every year, and there has also been severe erosion. This will begin to affect the local organisms in time.
Birds like puffins are struggling because of these changes and have decreased by 70%. The loss of food sources, habitat, and more has played a role in this decrease. Due to ocean changes, new non-native fish, like mackerel, are arriving in Icelandic waters, while native species are leaving or dying. High ocean acidification is also harming shell-building organisms. In general, the future for these animals does not look much better.
Researchers predict that Iceland’s name may no longer have meaning because of its complete loss of ice by 2200. They also expect 90% of species to disappear in the next 50 years, and excess runoff from glaciers may affect hydroelectric plants. The island will no longer be what it once was, and future generations may never know what its true beauty once looked like. This is why it is important that this beautiful place be preserved.
Overall, Iceland is a spectacular island that is known for its raw beauty and remarkable organisms. Pictures don’t do it justice, and only visiting this Nordic country can reveal the incredible exquisiteness of this ecosystem. While Iceland is filled with organisms and beauty, climate change will damage this environment. It is now up to us to reverse the changes we have caused and fix what we have harmed.
Natural environments on the edge of survival in an ever-changing world.
