Jökull - 01.12.1983, Page 6

Fig. 1. Index map showing the 13 principal ice caps of Iceland and the 34 International Hydrological
Decade (IHD) index numbers assigned by Rist (1967 and 1977) to the individual outlet glaciers (of 6
diíferent ice caps) and cirque glaciers (3 different ones) monitored annually (see also Table 1).
Mynd 1. Prettán helstu j'óklar á íslandi og 34 jökulsporðar þar sem hop og framskrið er malt.
OBSERVATION OF GLACIERS
The glaciers of Iceland have been observed by
Icelanders since the time of settlement about 874
A.D. Thorarinsson (1960) noted that Sveinn Pálsson,
the Icelandic physician-naturalist and pioneer
glaciologist, made many astute observations of the
principal glaciers in Iceland in the late 18th cent-
ury. Pálsson’s original handwritten manuscript, in-
cluding four sketch maps and 8 perspective draw-
ings (1795), was translated in toto from Danish to
Icelandic and published by Eythórsson in 1945.*
Thorvaldur Thoroddsen was the next Icelander to ex-
tensively study and publish scientific reports on
Iceland’s glaciers (1892 and 1906). His 1892 paper
was the first systematic attempt to determine areas
and provide other scientific information about the
glaciers of Iceland. Thorarinsson (1943) compiled a
table of the areas of Iceland glaciers which was
based on 1:50,000- and 1:100,000-scale, pre-World
War II maps of the Danish Geodetic Institute and
Thoroddsen’s work. The systematic measurement of
the annual variation of the position ofoutlet glaciers
and ice cap margins was begun by the Icelandic
* An English translation of Pálsson’s original work has recently
been completed and is presently being edited by the author (Willi-
ams).
4 JÖKULL 33. ÁR