The coming decades will see a rise of temperatures in Iceland by approximately four degrees Celsius, if global warming caused by the greenhouse effect continues uninterrupted and isn’t counteracted urgently.
This means the glaciers will be completely gone in up to 200 years an expert at the Icelandic Met Office told RUV’s reporter. He also said that humans are with out a shadow of a doubt cause the global warming. “Because we know that the greater part of global warming is driven by the greenhouse gasses released by humans, and emitting of the greenhouse gases is not being reduced to a degree that is likely to influence the current rate of global warming – the warming In Iceland will almost certainly continue as is” Dr. Halldor Bjornsson told reporter. “And unless something drastic is done the weather here will resemble the climate in Scotland”
This would have a huge impact on the nature in Iceland. The glaciers in Iceland have already been reduced severely from the turn of the century and we are already seeing the effect on the waterways and the flow of rivers in in the country. Most obviously in Skeidara River. In once place there is a bridge over nothing but sand, the river has grown so and changed it’s path completely.
On top of that the change in temperature will greatly affect the flora and fauna of Iceland as if we are already seeing. The species of plants are increasing, some plants are becoming more dominant and others, the more fragile arctic ones are weaning. The arctic char population has lessened and the Icelandic birch forest has spread 9% since 1990.
The influence of man made global warming is evident in Iceland and there can be no doubt that its man made Bjornsson concluded.