Hello day 5 and happy sunshine. We started off the morning with a lovely walk to take a look at basalt column features. Already, I can tell it is going to be a lovely day. There was little wind and a peek of a blue sky. We also stopped to say hi to some Icelandic horses. There were quite cute and fascinating to see up close. We finished off this stretch of the morning to look at some more rock formations and great views.
This landscape is incredibly prone to flooding. Due to this, development on this region is limited. Bridges do not stand a chance to heavy flooding as we saw at the Skeiðará Bridge Monument. This monument displays twisted girders from the Skeiðará Bridge. As the region flooded, large chunks of glacier were carried through the plain with a very large volumetric flow rate and tore the bridge as it made contact. The old bridge is no longer in use and another bridge was built near it to allow passage over the river. This is a great example of how the infrastructure needs to be engineered specifically for this region. Another example of this is stories of cars being swept off bridges by heavy winds in the South. To solve some of these issues, engineers have utilized reinforced steel columns. They have also taken account better estimates for expected conditions. To ensure the safety of drivers on the road, they have set up data stations that measure temperature and wind conditions. There are signs along the roads and websites online to inform drivers of the various conditions. Ice warnings are shown and drivers are advised to stay off the roads once the winds get too high.
After we left, we headed to a glacier! Every time we see a glacier, I am just amazed by their sheer size and how cool they look. We were able to see how quickly the edge of the glacier shatters and breaks off into the glacial lake. Then, we went to the diamond beach and the glacial lagoon, Jökulsárlón. This was an incredible sight to see. Like I said, the weather was actually beautiful. The diamond beach has blocks of ice littered on the black sand beach and the sun was glittering through the chunks of ice. I also loved looking at the water as it flowed along the beach; It was very relaxing. Running through this diamond beach and into the ocean is the glacial lagoon. We were able to walk along the outlet of this lagoon. Birds were flying overhead and we even saw some seals sitting on an iceberg. This area was so serene and was unlike anything I have ever seen before. This whole time, the sun was still shining which only added to the beautiful scenery. Everyday in Iceland, the sights I see get topped everyday.
Swanson School of Engineering 