A glacial river flood has started in Iceland
The river flood is considered fairly minor. mbl.is/Sigurður Bogi Sævarsson
The Iceland Met Office has just announced that a minor flood of the Skaftá glacier river in Iceland’s mighty Vatnajökull glacier has most probably begun. Tourists are warned to stay away from the area.
The river flow at Sveinstindur has been increasing steadily over recent days and the electrical conductivity of the river water has increased slightly.
The flow at Sveinstindur is now measured at 112 cubic metres per second and the flood water is reportedly discharging from the west cauldron of Skaftá.
Because such a short time has passed since the last Skaftá river flood, specialists at the Met Office believe that it will cause no damage to the Skaftárdalur valley.
Possible dangers of the glacial river flood are Sulphur Dioxide being carried with the river water from the glacier. It will be strong enough to irritate eyes and lungs and travellers are therefore warned to stay away from the borders of Skaftárjökull, Tungnárjökull and Síðujökull glaciers for the duration of the flood. Crevasses will form very fast around the cauldron and tourists to Vatnajökull should keep away from the cauldrons.
