Ice Geyser. This is the first time I have ever heard of such a phenomenon-- high pressure water shooting hundreds of feet in the air hydraulically powered by the lakes and the pressure that the ice is under. This phenomenon is new and may represent hidden dangers for the ice in the future.

Second pass Iceland topography

three shots from Iceland the day we left the island... the below picture is the vista as we are heading out to sea pointing towards Greenland some 200 miles away, leaving Iceland behind for 2007...

Topography of iceland is punctuated by volcanic rocks eroded by ice, laced with greenery in the summer late night sun....

Here are some favorites shots of Iceland topography

Melt Lakes!

These ponds are so big you could call them "melt lakes!" You could say that the Greenland ice sheet is going down the drain from this photo:

Melt Pond 2

These melt ponds are getting bigger and more numerous each year we cross the ice.

Melt Pond 1

This is crystal clear blue water that happens to be about 100 feet deep in spots, causing the dark blue color. The melting ice sheet is creating increasing melt ponds across the Greenland ice sheet, both east and west.

Peaks Buried in Snow

Riveting Mountains of Eastern Greenland

Flight track across Greenland

Our objective was to recreate our 2006 track across the East Kangerlussuaq Glacier at 8000 feet so as to compare the ice positions from last year to this year. Here is the track we took in 2007, the east part of which matched pretty closely the 2006 track.

Flight Plan to Greenland

Suiting up in Isafjordur

Rob is all suited up and ready to go as we prepare for the trans-oceanic leg to Greenland here in Isafjordur.


Ariel serves as a camera tripod for our departure photo from Isafjordur to the wilds of Greenland:

Heading North to Isafjordur

Here's the volcano near Rif in Western Iceland, snowcapped on the horizon.


Along the coastline several steep mountains descended to the sea.

North Iceland in the Morning Light 2

Climbing up through a hole in the morning mist, we found the tops of the volcanic rock in the morning sunlight floating atop the stratus.

North Iceland in the Morning Light 1

Along the north coast of Iceland were a number of glacial fjords and sculpted lava interspersed with cloud layers in the morning sun. These reminded me of Hawaii, with verdant volcanoes in the mist (with the possible exception of the snow fields!)

Track from Grimsey to Keflavik

Here's our flight from Grimsey to Keflavik to pick up Rob who flew in from the States to join the expedition. I met him at the South Air terminal and we fueled up and hopped in the plane for Isafjordur in the northwest fjords. On the way down I was treated to some aerial views of Grimsey and the north coast of Iceland in all its glory, Grimsey Isle pictured at the top of this post.

Victory and defeat at the fishing awards

Victory and defeat at the fishing awards.

Westward Ho!

The northern route represents our plan of action westbound across the Greenland Ice cap. We hope to shoot the East Kangerlussuaq Glacier tomorrow weather permitting. Currently it is CAVOK on Grimsey Island, anticipating smooth conditions tomorrow to West Greenland and possibly Iqaluit. The possibly comes from a couple of fronts and a Low hanging out around Iqaluit providing extended showers, so we will have to see until tomorrow. I am scheduled to pick up Rob from Reykjavik to begin our westbound journey

Track to Grimsey

Here was Ariel's track out to Grimsey along the Akureyri Fjord. We flew at 1000 feet to get more detail on the waterfalls and snowfields. Here's one of the waterfalls flowing from the east side of the fjord.

Columnar Basalt

The south end of Grimsey displays columnar basalt formed during a recent intrusive event. Grimsey lies on the mid-Atlantic Ridge just north of Iceland.

Biggest Salmon

This salmon caught near the Isle of Grimsey measured over 4 feet long and weighed over 40 pounds!

Camping with Polar Bears

I'm camping out here at the Isle of Grimsey near the Basar Guesthouse just at BIGR. They showed me a nice book with a picture of the polar bear that visited a while back. Seems like a 7-year old boy depicted in the photo found the bear back in 1969. No signs of bear yet on the island. So far so good!

Ariel in the fog

Ariel too becomes enshrouded in the midnight fog.

Fog settles on Grimsey

As the night progresses, a thick fog settles onto Grimsey. Boats in the fog on land and in the harbor.

Fishing Generations

The family fishing spans the generations in Grimsey

Mother and child

A proud mother displays her prize at the fishing awards ceremony.

Lutheran Church

This Lutheran church in Grimsey at midnight has a history from at least 1254 A.D., where the first pastor was recorded in the log.

Greek Sailor

This greek sailor gave up his ocean-crossing past to move to Iceland 25 years ago in the north and fish. He travels to Grimsey and the other sport-fishing competitions each summer to enjoy the cameraderie the fishermen have to offer.

Colbein from Isafjordur

Colbein is from Isafjordur where he worked in the fish farming industry. He may fly with me to Reykjavik on Tuesday morning.