Iceland: Less ice, half of the volcano without sugar

The other side of Eurasia

In the cold wind of the Arctic Circle

On the raging waves of the North Atlantic

There is

The country known as "the end of the world"

Iceland

(Kirkjufell, Iceland's iconic natural scenery, named after its straw hat shape, photographer @高承)

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Between Heaven and Earth

The deserted wasteland

As if forgotten by time

(Please watch Vestrahorn in landscape mode under the aurora. It is named after its shape that resembles a bat with wings spread. Photographer: He Jinyi)

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The world is prosperous

It's none of my business

(Please view the canyon in Þórsmörk Nature Reserve in horizontal mode, image source: Visual China)

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Worldly Trouble

It's none of my business

(Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach, photo courtesy @Business Iceland)

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But in the most desolate land

But the world was born

One of the most desirable countries for travelers

It is located in the Arctic Circle

The average temperature in the coldest month of winter is no less than -3°C

Warmer than many places at the same latitude

(The sun shines directly into the ice cave, as if it is setting the ice on fire; in comparison with my country, the average temperature in the coldest month in Northeast China is maintained at -2℃ to -25℃. Image source: @Visual China)

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It's away from the world

But it has a per capita GDP of $68,000

Rated by the United Nations

One of the countries with the highest human development index in the world

(Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. In the past five years, Iceland has always ranked in the top three in the Human Development Index. Photographer @璋视觉)

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Iceland

What kind of country is it?

(Iceland's geographical location. The straight-line flight distance between Iceland and Beijing is about 7,800 kilometers. Map by @Song Nan/Planet Research Institute)

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01

Flaming Glacier

Iceland

It was once a mysterious legend in Europe

9th century AD

According to legend, someone was in distress at sea.

Accidentally drifted to an uninhabited island

There is snow and wind and the climate is extremely cold.

The land is frozen

Later generations called it "Iceland"

(Vatnajökull Glacier, the filming location of the "Ice Planet" in Interstellar, image source: @Visual China)

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However

Iceland is more than just an island

Below it are overlapping peaks.

Undersea Mountains

(Illustration of Iceland's submarine topography. The submarine mountain range extends from the Arctic Ocean to the southern tip of Africa, about 16,000 kilometers long, which is the "Mid-Atlantic Ridge". Map by @Song Nan/Planetary Research Institute)

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Tens of millions of years ago

The North American and Eurasian plates are gradually separating

Magma continues to rise along the cracks

Until it breaks the sea

Iceland

Born in flames

(The birth of Iceland. 25 million years ago, a giant mantle plume convected to the bottom of the plate to form a huge amount of magma, which continued to erupt with the help of the mid-ocean ridge. Map by @Du Rui & Song Nan & Li Sanlian/Planetary Research Institute)

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This is a violent volcanic island.

103,000 square kilometers of land area

Equivalent to Jiangsu Province

There are more than 30 volcanic systems across the island.

Together they form the highest and most dangerous section of the island.

(Display of the distribution of Icelandic volcanoes. The direction of the volcanoes is similar to that of the mid-ocean ridge, running southwest to northeast across Iceland. Map by @Song Nan/Planetary Research Institute)

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Iceland's largest volcano

Bardarbunga

2009 meters above sea level

Covering an area of ​​2,500 square kilometers

Equivalent to the total area of ​​Hong Kong

(Eruption of Fagradalsfjall volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland in 2021, image source: Visual China)

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But born in the land of fire

Also born in ice

Iceland is located in the Arctic Circle

The cold glaciers are another dominant force here.

When Ice Meets Fire

A war is bound to start

(Please watch Bat Mountain in horizontal mode. The sunset illuminates the rain clouds. It's like chaos is just beginning, and the song of ice and fire is about to begin. Photographer @沈霖)

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Glaciers "suppress" volcanoes with their thick ice

and assert their sovereignty

The area is as high as 8,100 square kilometers, equivalent to half of Beijing.

Vatnajokull, the largest glacier in Iceland

He conquered seven volcanoes alone

The average thickness of the ice is 380 meters

(Vatnajökull Glacier, with its icy tongue baring its teeth, photographer @罗杰)

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Proud volcano

Gradually, the glaciers cut into sharp edges

Rugged mountains

(Vatnajökull Glacier, photographer @高承)

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When the glacier is at its strongest

Covered all of Iceland

The land along the coast has also been eroded.

Long narrow fjord

(Kambsnes, one of the viewing points in the Westfjords, photo courtesy @Business Iceland)

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But the volcano

Not willing to give in

They are like a group of crazy gunners

Through one volcanic eruption after another

Breakthroughs were opened one after another on the frozen land.

A large amount of molten lava from the center of the earth

Surge up from the breach

Rapidly swallowing glaciers

The volcanic island begins to show its true strength

(In August 2022, the Meradalier volcano erupted, with lava pouring out of a 300-meter-long crack. Photographer @丁亦然)

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Volcano, also good at surprise attacks

They lurk beneath the calm sea surface

Explodes suddenly when the enemy is least prepared

Create a new island

Expand your new territory

(Heimaey Island, a volcanic eruption in 1973, which lasted for nearly half a year and formed a new volcanic cone Eldfell, which literally means "volcano" in Icelandic. Image source: Visual China)

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The volcano's weapon: heat

The most feared glacier

Thick ice melts into water

Falling straight down from the top of the mountain

Forming a magnificent waterfall landscape

(Secret waterfall in spring and summer/Gljufrabui, photographer @刘白&李永男风景旅游摄影)

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Glacial meltwater falls from the volcanic territory

Along the terrain, it flows into rivers on hillsides and plains

Forming a dense water network

(The stream flows on the plain like an autumn "braid", photographer @Su Tie)

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Others

Together with atmospheric precipitation

A lake formed in the crater

(Crater Lake in southeast Iceland, photographer @Henry Liu)

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So far

The Game of Flames and Ice

Gradually reaching a delicate balance

Left a magnificent mark in Iceland:

ice

Ice Ice Ice

Ice ice ice ice

volcano volcano volcano

(Please view Snæfellsjökull in horizontal mode, a typical subglacial volcano, photographer @刘白)

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The war of ice and fire gradually came to an end

Iceland is also beginning to reveal more of its wild appearance

After tens of millions of years of eruption,

Unique columnar joints are formed by cooling and shrinkage

(Swati Falls, the cliffs are mostly hexagonal columnar joints, photographer @贺进一)

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Other rocks from volcanoes

Exposed on the coast

After being eroded by running water, it is broken into fine black sand

A rare black sand beach

Let the waves hit you

The Battle of Flames and Ice

Finally, in the flowing water and crushed sand

Towards the final chapter

(Black sand beach at Cape Dyrholaey, photographer @afun阿方)

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but

This land is so violent

Is it really suitable for humans?

02

Polar Vitality

9th century AD

A chieftain living on the coast of Norway

Ingólfur Arnarson

Exiled for killing his compatriots

Nowhere in Northern Europe

Only one chance

Lead your confidants to sail far away

Hoping to find the legendary "Iceland"

As his new home

(The Faroe Islands, located between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, have long been mistaken for the legendary Iceland. Image source: Visual China)

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874 AD

Inger landed in a "smoking bay"

“Smoke” is actually water vapor

There are more than 800 large hot springs scattered across this volcanic island.

Hot magma heats the water

Hot steam rising everywhere

The Smoking Bay

Reykjavik

The capital of Iceland

(Strokkur Geyser/Strokkur, picture source @Visual China)

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However

Inger discovered that "Iceland" is not ice

The North Atlantic Current flows northward from the Gulf of Mexico

Flows through southwestern Iceland

The climate along the coast is relatively warm

Reykjavik even happens to be one of the warmest areas in the country

(North Atlantic Ocean Currents. Iceland has a cold temperate oceanic climate, with winter temperatures ranging from 3°C to -3°C and summer temperatures ranging from 15°C to 8°C. Map by @Song Nan/Planetary Research Institute)

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Cold and Warm

Directly determines the possibility of human survival

In the larger climate context

Medieval Warm Period

Towering glaciers

Melting water brings a lot of fresh water resources

Grass and shrubs grow wildly all over the island.

Vegetation coverage is over 60%

(Cute creatures in Iceland: sheep, puffins, and arctic foxes, photographer @请叫我安大侠&Visual China&BusinessIceland)

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Yin Ge looked at the vibrant scene in front of him.

Decided to settle here

People cut down trees and built houses

Chopping wood and burning fire for warmth

And divided the vast grassland into pastures

Raising sheep and cattle

(Iceland's medieval turf houses are generally composed of a main house, side houses, barns, and farms. Photographer: Gao Xufei)

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Iceland's story gradually spread across Europe

Many residents of Northern Europe, Ireland, and northern Scotland

I also long for a new home without chaos

Iceland is the best target

They traveled across the ocean to Iceland

Seize the most livable settlements

(Guess where is the most livable place in Iceland? After the last ice age, Iceland's glaciers retreated and now only account for 11% of the country's land area. Map by @Song Nan/Planet Research Institute)

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The coastal plains have a warm climate

Gentle hillsides and dense rivers

People can both graze and develop farmland

Growing cereals such as barley and oats

(Please view Vik in the south in horizontal mode. The hillsides are suitable for grazing and the plains are suitable for farming. Image source: Visual China)

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The plains in the fjord area are relatively narrow

But there is a winding coastline

People live in the mountains and face the sea

Fishing for a living

(Ísafjarðarbær, photographer @罗杰)

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10th to 12th century AD

People gradually expanded from the coast to the inland plateau

On steep mountains

Sheep grazing

(Jökulsá á Fjöllum, the second longest river in Iceland, a canyon formed by glacial floods, photographer @闭眼沉默)

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In the turbulent rift

Discuss state affairs

(Thingvellir, where people gathered in the summer to organize parliament since 930 AD, laying the foundation for Iceland's democratic parliamentary system. Photographer: @请叫我安大侠)

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In just two centuries

Iceland from an uninhabited island

Became a new country with tens of thousands of people

However, in the 13th century

A devastating natural disaster

From then on, the fate of this small island was pushed in another direction.

——The Little Ice Age is coming

Glaciers expand from the Arctic Circle to lower latitudes

Iceland sees sharp drop in temperatures

(Please view the Dyrhólaey Cape in southern Iceland in horizontal mode, which looks like a lifeless frozen land. Photographer: @吴邺霖)

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Plants grow slowly due to low temperatures

Large areas of farmland and grassland

After excessive logging and grazing

Trapped in a vicious cycle of soil erosion

A large number of livestock and people died in the famine

(Large area of ​​wasteland in the central highlands of Iceland, photographer @罗杰)

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Natural disasters occur without warning

Then people realized

Humans never really owned this land.

Flames and Ice

A heavier blow

Most of Iceland's volcanoes are buried under glaciers

Volcanoes melt glaciers from within

Once a volcano erupts

Not only triggering a series of earthquakes, landslides, mudslides

It will also cause glacial lake outbursts and glacier rises.

Causes massive flooding

(The internal structure of the glacial flood is shown in the figure. Iceland calls this disaster "jökulhlaups". The flood further exacerbated the problem of soil erosion. Map by @Du Rui/Planetary Research Institute)

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Human civilization built over two centuries

On the verge of extinction

Iceland

Where does this leave us?

03

Integrate into the world

Iceland has a total area of ​​103,000 square kilometers

However, only 3% of the land is suitable for agricultural development.

Land infertility is like a chronic disease

Killing people in despair

(Famine was particularly frequent during the Little Ice Age, photographer @高旭飞)

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Fortunately, Iceland still has the ocean

The island has 4,970 kilometers of coastline.

Ocean currents concentrate nutrients in shallow waters

Attracts a large number of fish

People adapt to changes in nature

Grazing in the summer when grass and trees are growing vigorously

Fishing in winter during the breeding season

19th century

Iceland relies on limited natural resources

Survived in a self-sufficient mode

(Westfjords, photographer @罗杰)

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However

This kind of survival mode is like living on an "isolated island"

The resources of this land are always too limited

Iceland knows it must look further ahead

Enter the world

The other side of the sea

There is a country as cold as Iceland - Norway

Iceland sent wool, textiles, and dried fish to

In exchange for food, wood, and salt

(Dried fish. Icelandic Nobel laureate Laxness once lamented that the most important thing in life is dried salted fish. Image source: @Visual China)

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To the east, there is the United Kingdom more than 1,000 nautical miles away.

Iceland ships fish oil to it for fuel

The British also prefer to cook plump and tender cod.

Fish, a transformation

It has become Iceland's most important commodity.

Fishing has since become Iceland's mainstay industry.

(Whale watching scene in Husavik. From 1958 to 1976, Iceland fought three wars with Britain over cod fishing rights. Photographer: Gao Cheng)

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To the west, nearly 10,000 nautical miles away is the United States

During World War II

As the US, British and German allies competed for supremacy at sea

The importance of the North Atlantic shipping route is also gradually increasing.

Iceland is located at the northern end of the North Atlantic Ocean

Occupying Iceland is equivalent to controlling part of the sea power.

Traffic advantages gradually become more prominent

(Reykjavik Domestic Airport, built by the British Army during World War II; after the British Army withdrew, the United States stationed in Iceland until 2006, and later signed an agreement to assume Iceland's military defense responsibility. Image source: @Visual China)

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When the “isolated island” chooses to enter the world

Iceland has successfully broken out of its once self-sufficient mode

Rapidly catching up with an era of globalization

In this era

An Icelandic fish can be exported all over the world

Goods from all over the world can also be imported into Iceland

(During the period of the US military stationing, a large number of roads and bridges were built, strengthening the connection between Iceland's coastal towns and the capital. Photographer @Henry Liu)

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But the connection with the world

It also puts Iceland in a new predicament

Once the world situation changes

Iceland will also be affected

The international oil crisis broke out in 1973

Soaring oil prices have made Iceland realize

You must develop your own resources

(A large truck in a snowstorm. Due to the long winter and fluctuating weather, Iceland's largest import dependence in the 20th century was fossil fuels. Photographer @璋视觉)

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A look at Iceland

The Central Plateau is not a good place to live.

However, abundant water flows down the hillside

The height difference creates a strong water force

Good for power generation

(Godafoss Waterfall/Godafoss, Photographer @高承)

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The most dangerous volcanic belt

However, there is a huge amount of heat energy hidden inside

Enough to drive the generator to generate electricity

Hot water can also be used for daily use

Geothermal heat has greatly improved the living space of Icelanders

(Illustration of geothermal use in Iceland, drawn by @Du Rui/Planet Research Institute)

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Hydro and Geothermal

Both will not damage the land and can be recycled

Bringing endless electricity to Iceland

Thus becoming Iceland's most important natural resource in the 20th century

then

Iceland has abundant and cheap energy supply

Attract multinational companies to set up factories

The energy-intensive electrolytic aluminum processing industry is particularly advantageous

Manufacturing, mainly based on smelting, has gradually become an emerging industry in Iceland

(Svartnijmegen thermal power plant. Currently, Iceland has three aluminum smelters, producing about 800,000 tons per year. Image source: Visual China)

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The world is starting to take notice of the tiny country of Iceland

There is potential for sustainable economic development

There are also magnificent natural scenery

The wasteland of the past

Now it is filled with people's fantasies that have nowhere to go

This could be an alien planet, the end of the world, or the end of the world.

People travel across the ocean just to see this wonder

Iceland's tourism industry begins to rise

(Please watch the cave aurora in horizontal mode. In 2019, before the epidemic, the total number of tourists in Iceland reached 2.2 million, which is equivalent to 6 times the population of Iceland. Photographer @Su Tie)

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Tourism, manufacturing, and the traditional economic pillar of fisheries

Together they form Iceland's three major industries

Iceland succeeded in limited natural conditions

Find your own economic development model

(Export value of Iceland's main goods, map by @Du Rui/Planet Research Institute)

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now

Iceland sets sights on Arctic Circle

Hidden under the vast sea ice

18% of the world's oil and 30% of its natural gas

Great potential for industrial and commercial development

(Arctic seals. Nowadays, there are regular tour groups visiting the Arctic. Photographer: @陈彬彬)

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The Arctic Ocean was once frozen over

However, with global warming

Sea ice gradually melts

A faster, shorter and more convenient route

The Arctic route will soon be fully open to navigation

Iceland is expected to become an important transit point

(Comparison between the Eurasian route and the Arctic route. The biggest bottleneck for shipping between China and Europe is the Suez Canal. Going north through the Arctic Ocean will be a faster option. Map by @Song Nan/Planetary Research Institute)

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Everything seems to be going well

But there is always another side to things

Global warming causes large-scale melting of glaciers

Iceland's sea level

It is rising at a rate of 3 mm per year

The ecological balance of the ocean has also begun to be affected

(Grundarfjörður on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. The most habitable coastal plain will be directly affected by the melting of glaciers. Photographer @丁亦然)

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Before a better future comes

Iceland seems to have more crises to face

future

Would Iceland be better?

04

Warm and Cold World

2023

The total population of Iceland is 370,000

Of these, 240,000 people live in the capital region.

The population distribution is extremely uneven

(Kerlingarfjöll, a sparsely populated volcano, has become a typical Icelandic impression. Photographer: Henry Liu)

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19th century onwards

Iceland has developed a relatively complete welfare system

Let Icelanders in their lifetime

Whether facing illness, unemployment or retirement, you will be protected

(Illustration of the Icelandic government's fiscal expenditure structure, with national welfare accounting for the largest proportion, drawn by @Du Rui/Planet Research Institute)

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But as a country with extremely frequent natural disasters

There is always a limit to what Iceland can do

Since its creation, this island

Destined to be governed by the laws of the polar regions

Because of its location in the Arctic Circle

Every year after the autumnal equinox

Iceland's days are getting shorter

Instead, long winter nights

(Please watch the double moon rainbow, aurora, and Big Dipper lighting up the night sky of Iceland in horizontal mode. Photographer: @苏铁)

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Contrary

After the Spring Equinox

Iceland's days are gradually getting longer than its nights

There are several days in June with sunshine lasting up to 21 hours

Even at midnight the sun was still shining

(Golden Waterfall/Gullfoss in the midnight sun, photographer @李永男风景旅游摄影)

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Life in Iceland

Like wandering between light and shadow

Iceland during the day in December

Only 4 and a half hours

Now, in March

Days start to get longer in Iceland

9 a.m.

The east is illuminated by the sun first

(A small house under the snowy mountain of Stapafell in southern Iceland, photographer @刘白)

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11 a.m.

It's a busy time

From late January to May every year

Fish follow the ocean currents to the south coast to spawn

Swim further west

The laws of nature run through the ages

Life in Iceland goes on as usual

(Akureyri, the largest city in northern Iceland, photographer @张明琛)

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12 noon

Maybe there will be a snowstorm.

Children happily playing in the snow

(The weather in Iceland is unpredictable, blizzards, rain and cloudy weather are commonplace, photographer @丁亦然)

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Sunny at 2pm

Changing weather makes people more aware of the present moment

Travelers like to drive around the island during this time.

Soak in hot springs and visit ice caves

Enjoy the sunshine

(Ice cave in Iceland, photographer @李永男风景旅游摄影)

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4 p.m.

The towering cliffs are undisturbed

Iceland will save large areas of vulnerable land

Designated as a nature reserve

Let everything grow freely

(Please view the Straw Hat Mountain in horizontal mode under the colorful clouds. It is part of the Snæfellsjökull National Park. Photographer: @郭家豪)

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5pm

People go home from get off work

When work ends, life begins

The streets and shops gradually became lively.

The restaurant also began to make noisy noises.

(Street view of Reykjavik, the tower-like building in the distance is Hallgrímskirkja Cathedral, picture source: Visual China)

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The night comes quickly

Iceland’s “night life” also comes early

8 p.m.

Whether it is a dinner party, a bar, or a concert

Or stay at home

Icelanders have long winter nights to spend their leisure time

(Christmas in Reykjavik, picture source: @Visual China)

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The city is bustling

The distant central mountains have long been silent.

10 o'clock at night

Only the sound of running water is left

(Skógafoss, photographer @刘白)

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Midnight

People turned off the lights one by one

When Iceland falls into darkness again

A heavenly light is lighting up the night sky

Solar wind "blowing" from 150 million kilometers away

The Earth's magnetic field leads to the North and South Poles

The collision with the atmosphere produced the aurora.

That instant flash of light

Perhaps as every Icelander can have

The moment

(Aurora "Dancing of the Gods", photographer @Su Tie)

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This article was created by

Written by : Chagall

Editor : Director

Image : Long Shijie

Design : Du Rui & Li Sanlian

Map : Songnan

Proofreading : Yunwukongcheng & Qingliu & Wu Xintian

Cover Photographer : Gao Cheng & Zhang Mingchen

Audit Expert

Professor Chen Liang, Research Fellow at Fudan University Nordic Center

Special thanks

Embassy of Iceland in China

Note:

[1] Place names in this article are transliterated from Icelandic. Names in map captions are in Chinese first, followed by English and Icelandic.

[2] The ancient-related content in Chapter 2 of this article is based on the Icelandic history books The Book of Icelanders (Íslendingabók) and The Book of Settlement (Landnámabók). There is no clear record of the dates for the mythological content.

【References】

[1]Denk, T. (2011) “Introduction to the Nature and Geology of Iceland,” in Late Cainozoic Floras of Iceland: 15 million years of vegetation and climate history in the northern North Atlantic. Dordrecht: Springer Netherland.

[2]Karlsson, G. (2003) The history of Iceland. Minneapolis: Univ. of Minnesota Press.

[3]Celli, NL et al. (2021) "The tilted iceland plume and its effect on the North Atlantic Evolution and magmatism," Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 569, p. 117048. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2021.117048.

[4]Björnsson, Helgi & Pálsson, Finnur. (2008). Icelandic glaciers. Jökull. 58.

[5] "Man against volcano: The eruption on Heimaey, Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland" (1983). Available at: https://doi.org/10.3133/7000025.

[6]Jóhannesson, T. (2010) Agriculture in Iceland Conditions and characteristics. The Agricultural University of Iceland.

[7] Liu Liqun. Records of Nations: Iceland[M]. Social Sciences Academic Press, 2007(05).

[8]Iceland Land Cover Country Fact Sheet 2012 (2021) European Environment Agency.

[9]Soil erosion in Iceland (2001). Soil Conservation Service Agricultural Research Institute.

[10]Soil erosion in Iceland (2001). Soil Conservation Service Agricultural Research Institute.

[11]Júlíusson, Á.D. (2020) “Agricultural growth in a cold climate: The case of iceland in 1800–1850,” Scandinavian Economic History Review, 69(3), pp. 217–232. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/03585522.2020.1788985.

[12]Trade POLICY REVIEW mechanism Iceland report by the Government (1994). General Agreement On Tariffs and Trade.