By Steven Cardinal and Miles Mcconville
So today marks our halfway mark on our grand adventure in the beautiful Skálanes, Iceland. Today the students of SCSU AND Liverpool John Moores University continued working on the projects that we’ve been assigned for the next few days.
The projects are aimed at consolidating the knowledge and skills the group has learnt so far on the trip, such as studying the hydrology of local rivers, looking at the sea bird population, and investigating snow conditions.
Some students accompanied Dr. Heidkamp on an expedition to install another weather station in the area on top of Baegsli (938 meters). Unfortunately, weather conditions and wet terrain prohibited those hiking from reaching their destination. Although it was a bummer the goal wasn’t reached, we did learn a valuable lesson in trusting our gut when a situation is presented that doesn’t feel 100% safe. The mountains are not going anywhere and will still be there to climb another day.
Meanwhile, one group traveled to the mountain pass behind Seyðisfjörður to measure snow levels and density. Stakes had been placed earlier in the week and were revisited to see their progress. Due to the unseasonably high temperatures we have seen around 15cm of snow melt over the past three days. The site will continue to be monitored over the coming days to track its progress and record its findings.
Later on in the evening, we had the pleasure of meeting Andri Snaer Magnason, Icelandic presidential hopeful and author of the book Dreamland, which discusses the environmental concerns surrounding hydroelectric power and aluminium smelting processes within the country. Hearing Andri discuss the impacts of damming opened our eyes to how not to just accept an environmental solution without doing some research.
Not long after we were treated to a boat ride out in the fjord guided by Oli, the owner of the Skálanes nature reserve. It was a blessing to interact with both of these amazing individuals today. They have broadened our horizons on what it really means to care for nature and why it is so important to protect it. We can’t wait to see what else this adventure will offer us.
