Blåmannsisen
Encyclopedia
Blåmannsisen is the fifth largest glacier in mainland Norway
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Its highest point is 1560 metres (5,118.1 ft) above sea level and its lowest point is 810 m (2,657.5 ft). Three outlet glaciers extend from the icecap. A small outlet spills over a subglacial ridge to the north damming an unnamed lake resulting in occasion outburst floods. To the east a large outlet extends towards the lake, Leirvatnet. A further outlet descends steeply to the west. The western and northern outlets are heavily crevassed, as is the snout of the eastern glacier calving into Leirvatn. The glacier also calves into lake Blåmannsisvatnet
, resulting in extensive crevasses in the glacer above that lake. Given the degree of crevassing at the margins traversing the glacier can be dangerous, particularly in late spring or early summer when snow bridges may be weak.
Blåmannsisen drains into local Norwegian hydropower networks operated by Elkem and Saltens Kraftsamband and into the Luleälv, Sweden. The ice-dammed lake on the northern margin occasionally produces jökulhlaup
s (also known as Glacial lake outburst floods). The icecap is typically 200 – thick, exceeding 800 m (2,624.7 ft) in places . The equilibrium line altitude (ELA) is around 1100 m (3,608.9 ft) on the eastern side of the icecap, above the Leirvatn outlet. Satellite imagery, including that used by Google Earth, shows extensive exposed firn suggesting the ELA has retreated in recent years in common with other temperate icecaps in Norway. The southern margin of the glacier exhibits a forefield exposed since the retreat from the 'Little Ice Age' maximum with a well formed end moraine marking a former margin.
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...
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Its highest point is 1560 metres (5,118.1 ft) above sea level and its lowest point is 810 m (2,657.5 ft). Three outlet glaciers extend from the icecap. A small outlet spills over a subglacial ridge to the north damming an unnamed lake resulting in occasion outburst floods. To the east a large outlet extends towards the lake, Leirvatnet. A further outlet descends steeply to the west. The western and northern outlets are heavily crevassed, as is the snout of the eastern glacier calving into Leirvatn. The glacier also calves into lake Blåmannsisvatnet
Blåmannsisvatnet
Blåmannsisvatnet is a Norwegian lake that lies in Fauske municipality in Nordland.-See also:* List of lakes in Norway* Geography of Norway...
, resulting in extensive crevasses in the glacer above that lake. Given the degree of crevassing at the margins traversing the glacier can be dangerous, particularly in late spring or early summer when snow bridges may be weak.
Blåmannsisen drains into local Norwegian hydropower networks operated by Elkem and Saltens Kraftsamband and into the Luleälv, Sweden. The ice-dammed lake on the northern margin occasionally produces jökulhlaup
Jökulhlaup
A jökulhlaup is a glacial outburst flood. It is an Icelandic term that has been adopted by the English language. It originally referred to the well-known subglacial outburst floods from Vatnajökull, Iceland which are triggered by geothermal heating and occasionally by a volcanic subglacial...
s (also known as Glacial lake outburst floods). The icecap is typically 200 – thick, exceeding 800 m (2,624.7 ft) in places . The equilibrium line altitude (ELA) is around 1100 m (3,608.9 ft) on the eastern side of the icecap, above the Leirvatn outlet. Satellite imagery, including that used by Google Earth, shows extensive exposed firn suggesting the ELA has retreated in recent years in common with other temperate icecaps in Norway. The southern margin of the glacier exhibits a forefield exposed since the retreat from the 'Little Ice Age' maximum with a well formed end moraine marking a former margin.