Jökulsárlón
Iceland's largest lagoon is home to stunning multi-colored icebergsDespite the splendor of Jökulsárlón’s light blue and milky-white icebergs, the beauty of the glacial pool in southeastern Iceland is bittersweet, as the melting of nearby glaciers has accelerated, leaving the landscape all the more stunning.
Since the 1970s, Jökulsárlón has gotten four times larger, and now stands at 6.9 square miles as local glaciers have continued to melt. While that means that visitors have four times the breathtaking scenery, it also is indicative of a worldwide climate crisis. Formed entirely from melting glaciers, Jökulsárlón is situated directly next to Iceland’s largest glacier, Vatnajökull, which covers 8% of the country, and many chunks of the disintegrating glacier bob in the light blue waters of the lagoon.
Scientists estimate that the continued rate of melting of Vatnajökull will cause a massive fjord where the glacier once stood, again adding to the natural wonder of the landscape, but doing so at the expense of a glacier that has come to represent the nation. Despite the tragedies of losing the glacier, the lagoon’s colorful iceberg stew attracts visitors from across the world and is one of the most visually appealing lagoons in Iceland.
Jökulsárlón also holds a place in popular culture and has been a setting for four Hollywood movies: “A View to a Kill,” “Die Another Day,” “Tomb Raider,” and “Batman Begins.”
Read more about Jökulsárlón on Atlas Obscura...
Category: Natural Wonders, Watery Wonders
Location: Hofn, Iceland
Edited by: Dampo, atimian