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– Here we have it! I think it’s stone! Or is it ice cream?
Liss Marie Andreassen of Norway’s Directorate of Water Resources and Energy makes her way through the ice sheet at the peak of Jotunheimen.
With drills, radars and GPS gauges, NVE and the Mapping Authority would find the right hill on the mountain. And at the same time, find out how thick the ice sheet on top is now.
The Glittertind Glacier in 1910 and not
Iskappa has drastically decreased
Glittertind was for a long time the highest mountain in Norway due to the great ice sheet. But measurements in 1984 showed that the ice had decreased, and since then it has been our little brother from Galdhøpiggen.
The Jotunheimen glaciers probably reached their greatest size in the 18th century. From 1931 to 2017, the shelter at the top decreased by almost 25 meters, according to the Norwegian Cartography Authority.
But after checking again now in 2020, their chin almost fell off. Over the past three years, the mass of ice has melted up to five meters.
THE TOP: Here you can see the two highest points on the top of the mountain that were painted now. You can see the mountains and the top of the ice sheet. The difference is so small that from now on it is operated with a height in Glittertind.
Photo: Sveinung Engeland / Kartverket
– I was very surprised that it was so much, says Sveinung Engeland at Mapping Authority.
NVE’s Liss Marie Andreassen was more in favor of the large reduction. For several years she has taken measurements on the Gråsubreen glacier at the foot of Glittertind. It has also decreased a lot. And you have seen how the top of the mountain has changed.
– I looked up and thought, ‘Is it really Glittertind? Iskappa is almost gone, “he says.
ICE COVER: You have to do the measurements now, before the snow comes and it becomes more difficult to go down the mountain under the ice sheet.
Photo: Even Lusæter / NRK
Andreassen does not take his eyes off the fact that the entire ice sheet will disappear in a few years.
– We’ll see how long the coat lasts. If we have summers in the future like we had in 2018 and 2019, it will go away quickly, she says.
I’ve never known the hill
The hill right on the mountain has our mystery. Until now, it has been operated with two different heights. The highest point on the top of the glacier and the hill on which you can see solid rock.
– We are interested in finding out how high Glittertind really is and how much ice there is. For now, it has dropped a lot in recent years, says Liss Marie Andreassen at NVE.
HIGHEST POINT: The thick layer of ice that bears our glittertind hallmark is about to disappear. Now one sees the highest point at the top. The ice sheet is only a few millimeters higher.
Photo: Even Lustæter / NRK
They measured different places on the top. The top of the ice and what you can see from solid rock. It no longer separates almost anything.
The last number one used on Glittertind is 2457 meters above sea level. above the ice sheet and 2452 in what was visible from mountains.
From now on, all maps must be rewritten and a number will be used on the hill on the mountain in Jotunheimen:
2452 meters above sea level.
– Good to Know. But we must say that Glittertind Hill is not the most important thing we work with. It’s actually primarily for competition teams and mountain enthusiasts, says Sveinung Engeland.
MEASUREMENT: With radar and GPS gauges, they can finally find out how high the second highest mountain in Norway is.
Photo: Even Lusæter / NRK
