Jökull - 01.12.1969, Page 5

JOKULL
Á R S R I T
J Ö KLARAN N SÓ K N AF ÉLAGS ÍSLANDS
19. ÁR REYKJAVÍK 1969
Symposium on Drift Ice and Climate
Held in Reykjavík 27da January to 7th February 1969
Dedicated to the Memory of Jon Eythorsson
INTRODUCTION
Iceland lies close to the border of the main
ice drift frorn the higher Arctic regions and
during “ice years” the ice reaches the shores
of the country and is then a serious menace
to shipping and fisheries, and influences the
weather of the coastal regions more or less
seriously. At the beginning of this century Th.
Thoroddsen had collected the written records
of ice years througli the ages and published
his results in known papers and in a book in
Icelandic: “Climate in Iceland during 1000
years”. His results aroused the interest of many
climatologists who considered the recorcl to be
a significant reflection and indicator of climate.
This view was clearly confirmed when be-
tween 1920 and about 1960 the climate re-
mained milder and ice years became much less
severe than in the previous period of 40 to 50
years. After about 1960 signs of a severer
period began to appear and 1965 was a great
ice year, comparable to the great ice years of
forrner times. When similarly severe ice condi-
tions reoccurred during tlie winter and spring
1967—68 and cold winters, as before the rnild
period, had begun to reappear, general interest
in the ice problems was awakened in Iceland.
It was then decided to hold a symposium on
these problems, under the auspices of the Geo-
science Society, the Glaciological Society, the
Oceanographic Department, and the Meteoro-
logical Office. The symposium was prepared and
headed by a committee formed by Mr. Hlynur
Sigtryggsson, Director of the Meteorological
Office, Dr. Unnsteinn Stefánsson, Head of the
Oceanographic Department, professor Sigurdur
Thorarinsson and professor Trausti Einarsson.
Secretary and manager was Mr. Markús A. Ein-
arsson, meteorologist.
The 30 lectures ancl discussions presented in
6 afternoon meetings were published in book
form in Icelandic (Hafísinn [“The drift ice”],
Dec. 1969, pp. 1—552. Almenna bókafélagið,
Reykjavík). The present issue of Jökull is an
abridged version of most of the lectures pre-
sented at the Symposium. A list of tlie lectures
not included is given on p. 160. The final con-
clusions and recommendations are given in full
on p. 158-159.
Trausti Einarsson.
JÖKULL 19. ÁR 1