Today I traveled to Iceland as part of the ENGR 1607 program. We went to Perlan museum, to learn about some of Iceland’s natural beauty and how climate change is impacting Iceland. One system we learned about was hydroelectric power and Iceland’s general reliance in glaciers for water and power. This was adopted because of the vast amount of glaciers on Iceland (around 10% of Iceland is glaciers!), as over 400 glaciers exist in Iceland. Additionally, we learned about the “little ice age” that occured ~1300-1900, and during this time glaciers were very prominent. One thing that will impact the history of Iceland’s hydroelectric power in the future, is climate change. As the earth gets warmer, many of these glaciers are receding, which is decreasing availability for power generation, along with generally shifting Iceland’s landscape. A shifting landscape will also cause more natural disasters, which will also impact the power system in Iceland. Some things mentioned includes dust storms from released volcanic ash that was trapped in glaciers, along with flooding along coastlines, and new forest growths along certain areas in Iceland. We also got to walk inside a real “ice cave” in the museum which was a highlight of the day for me!
I’m excited to see some of the natural beauty of Iceland tomorrow.
– Meghan P
Swanson School of Engineering 