Austfonna
Encyclopedia
Austfonna is an ice cap
located on Nordaustlandet
in the Svalbard
archipelago
in Norway
. Covering an area of 8,105 km² (8,492 km² including Vegavonna ) it is the largest ice cap by area and with 1,900 km³ (excluding Vegafonna) the second largest by volume in Europe
, after the Vatnajökull
in Iceland
(not counting the still larger Severny Island ice cap
of Novaya Zemlya
, Russia
, which is located in the extreme northeast of Europe), and the seventh largest in the world http://www.stat.fi/tup/maanum/01_maantieteellisia_tietoja_aihepiireittain.xls.
Austfonna has a thickness of up to 560 metres (235 meters average thickness), and is and 200 km in circumference. The ice dome reaches an elevation of 783 meters above sea level.
The southern third of Austfonna is sometimes called Sørfonna, which is a separate ice cap, separated from the main part of Austfonna by a long, ice-filled depression, and forming a separate crestal dome.(paper of 1956)
Vegafonna in the southwest is also connected to Austfonna proper, specifically to (Sørfonna), and is separated from it by Erica Valley. Vegafonna also forms a separate dome. Immediately west of Vegafonna is Glittne ice cap, which is considered part of the former.
Vestfonna
in the northwest of the island is a totally separate ice cap (the third largest of Svalbard and Norway).
Ice cap
An ice cap is an ice mass that covers less than 50 000 km² of land area . Masses of ice covering more than 50 000 km² are termed an ice sheet....
located on Nordaustlandet
Nordaustlandet
Nordaustlandet is the second-largest island in the archipelago of Svalbard, Norway, with an area of . It lies north east of Spitsbergen, separated by Hinlopenstretet. Much of Nordaustlandet lies under large ice caps, mainly Austfonna and Vestfonna, the remaining parts of the north being tundra...
in the Svalbard
Svalbard
Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic, constituting the northernmost part of Norway. It is located north of mainland Europe, midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The group of islands range from 74° to 81° north latitude , and from 10° to 35° east longitude. Spitsbergen is the...
archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. Covering an area of 8,105 km² (8,492 km² including Vegavonna ) it is the largest ice cap by area and with 1,900 km³ (excluding Vegafonna) the second largest by volume in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, after the Vatnajökull
Vatnajökull
Vatnajökull is the largest glacier in Iceland. It is located in the south-east of the island, covering more than 8% of the country.-Size:With an area of 8,100 km², Vatnajökull is the largest ice cap in Europe by volume and the second largest in area Vatnajökull is the largest glacier in...
in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
(not counting the still larger Severny Island ice cap
Severny Island ice cap
Severny Island ice cap is a glacier on Severny Island, northern island of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in Russia. It covers 40% of Severny Island at total area of about which makes it the largest glacier by area in Europe easily beating second ranking Austfonna at and third ranking Vatnajökull...
of Novaya Zemlya
Novaya Zemlya
Novaya Zemlya , also known in Dutch as Nova Zembla and in Norwegian as , is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean in the north of Russia and the extreme northeast of Europe, the easternmost point of Europe lying at Cape Flissingsky on the northern island...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, which is located in the extreme northeast of Europe), and the seventh largest in the world http://www.stat.fi/tup/maanum/01_maantieteellisia_tietoja_aihepiireittain.xls.
Austfonna has a thickness of up to 560 metres (235 meters average thickness), and is and 200 km in circumference. The ice dome reaches an elevation of 783 meters above sea level.
The southern third of Austfonna is sometimes called Sørfonna, which is a separate ice cap, separated from the main part of Austfonna by a long, ice-filled depression, and forming a separate crestal dome.(paper of 1956)
Vegafonna in the southwest is also connected to Austfonna proper, specifically to (Sørfonna), and is separated from it by Erica Valley. Vegafonna also forms a separate dome. Immediately west of Vegafonna is Glittne ice cap, which is considered part of the former.
Vestfonna
Vestfonna
Vestfonna is an ice cap located on the western part Nordaustlandet in the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. The glacier covers an area of about 2,500 km². It is the third largest ice cap in Svalbard and Norway by area, after Austfonna and Olav V Land....
in the northwest of the island is a totally separate ice cap (the third largest of Svalbard and Norway).
External links
- Spatial and temporal variability in snow accumulation on Austfonna, Svalbard.
- http://www.cig.ensmp.fr/~iahs/sapporo/abs/jsh01/020760-1.html
- http://www.cpom.org/research/largeice.htm
- Map of Nordaustlandet
