Solheimajokull: A geography case study

Last updated: 15/11/2023
Solheimajokull: A geography case study
Main Subject
Key stage
Category
Geography: Physical landscapes
Inside
Includes answers
Resource type
Video
Worksheet
Continents
Europe

The aim of this free 18-minute video from Discover the World Education is to consider the recent changes that have taken place at Solheimajokull, one of Iceland’s most monitored glaciers.

It is particularly suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5 students studying glacial landscapes and the effects of climate change, including ‘Patterns in Environmental Quality and Sustainability’ for IB geography.

The video is available here:

Solheimajokull - A Geography Case Study from DiscovertheWorldEducation on Vimeo.

Accompaning worksheets with answers can be downloaded in the zipped folder.

Data records from Solheimajokull go back to the 1930s, and since the mid 1990s the glacier has retreated by up to 50 metres a year, creating a vast lagoon at its snout and revealing a distinctive glaciated landscape that includes landforms such as lateral moraines, kettle holes and a large outwash plain. Scientists believe that this retreat, like that of other glaciers, is clear evidence of climate change.

This short film includes diagrams, photos and video clips explaining the formation of the landscape, focusing on glacial processes and glacial landforms. It uses interviews with local experts (including glaciologist Thorsteinn Thorsteinsson) to make a critical assessment of the recent trends and explore the links to global warming, raising the question of whether Solheimajokull will still exist 100 years from now.

It examines:

  • the processes involved in glaciation, focusing on glacier mass balance, glacier movement and glacial erosion
  • the process of freeze-thaw weathering and its impacts on the landscape
  • a range of glacial and fluvioglacial landforms, including lateral moraines, till and the outwash plain
  • the impacts of global warming on the glacial mass balance and on the future of glaciers and ice caps in Iceland.

Solheimajokull: A geography case study received the Highly Commended Award at the Scottish Association of Geography Teachers Conference and the Silver Award at the Geographical Association Awards.

All reviews

There are no reviews yet. Have you used this resource?