Jökull - 01.10.1998, Blaðsíða 4

í stjórn Ferðafélags íslands í 35 ár, var forseti þess
1935-37 og 1959-61, ritstjóri Árbókar félagsins í nær
aldarfjórðung og skrifaði sjálfur þrjár þeirra.
Það sem lengst mun halda á lofti nafni Jóns Ey-
þórssonar er framlag hans til jöklarannsókna. Árið
1930 hóf hann kerfisbundnar mælingar á stöðu jökul-
sporða, sem enn er haldið uppi af fjölmörgum sjálf-
boðaliðum. Ásamt vini sínum, prófessor Hans
Ahlmann frá Stokkhólmsháskóla, skipulagði hann og
stjórnaði Sænsk-íslenska Vatnajökulsleiðangrinum
1936, sem lagði grundvöll að þekkingu á afkomu
þessa stærsta jökuls utan heimsskautasvæða. Hann
stjórnaði einnig Fransk-íslenska Vatnajökulsleiðangr-
inum 1951, sem vann að könnun á þykkt jökulsins
með jarðsveiflumælingum. Árið 1950 stofnaði Jón
Jöklarannsóknafélag Islands og var hann formaður og
aðalritstjóri Jökuls til dauðadags. Hann hafði einstakt
lag á að laða fólk til samstarfs og nutu bæði Jökla-
rannsóknafélagið og Ferðafélag Islands þess. Þeir eru
ófáir sem Jón taldi á að ganga í þessi félög.
Jöklarannsóknafélagið er félag áhugamanna um
að efla rannsóknir og ferðalög á jöklum og að kynna
niðurstöður jöklarannsókna. Án þessa félags væru
jöklarannsóknir á íslandi mun skemmra á veg komnar
en nú er og með félögum þess mun minningin lifa um
stofnandann, brautryðjandann og eldhugann Jón
Eyþórsson.
Helgi Bjömsson
The present volume of Jökull marks the 45 years
anniversary of the Iceland Glaciological Society and is
dedicated to its founder, Jón Eyþórsson, who was bom
100 years ago, on January 27th 1895. A son of a farmer
in northern Iceland, Jón belongs to the generation
which laid the foundation of the modern society of
Iceland in the first half of this century. He was a
pioneer in glaciological- and meteorological research
in Iceland and worked as a meteorologist at the
Meteorological Office for four decades, from 1926
until he retired in 1965. His scientific work includes
research of climate change, with special interest in the
climatic amelioration of this century, the occurrence of
sea ice near the coast of Iceland, in addition to
numerous glaciological studies. He educated his people
as an author, translater and trough popular radio
programs. He worked on establishing the Iceland
National Broadcasting Service and was the Chairman
of its Board in the 1930's. He was a member the Board
of the Touring Association of Iceland for 35 years, its
president 1935-37 and 1959-61, the editor of the year-
book of the Association for about 25 years and wrote
three of the yearbooks himself.
Jón Eyþórsson obtained his master's degree from
the University of Oslo in 1923, and worked for five
years under the leadership of Jack Bjerknes at the
Bergen meteorological institute, which at that time was
a world leading centre of meteorology. During his stay
in Norway he became acquainted with the Swedish
glaciologist Hans Wilhelmson Ahlmann and collabor-
ated with him on glacio- and meteorological studies in
Jotunheimen. Together they built in 1925-26 the first
high-mountain meteorological station in Scandinavia,
on Fanaráken at an elevation of 2070 m a. s. 1.
Jón Eyþórsson will long be remembered for his
contribution to glaciological research in Iceland. In
1930 he started regular monitoring of the longitudinal
variations of glacier fronts, which is still carried out by
many volunteers. Together with Professor Ahlmann of
the University of Stockholm, he organized and lead
the Swedish-Icelandic Vatnajökull Expedition in 1936,
studying the mass balance of this largest ice cap
outside the Polar regions. He also organized the
French-Icelandic Vatnajökull Expedition in 1951,
which explored the thickness of Vatnajökull by seis-
mic soundings, and a similar expedition to Mýrdals-
jökull in 1955. In 1950 he founded the Iceland Glacio-
logical Society. He was the President of that Society
and Chief Editor of Jökull to his death in 1968. The
Iceland Glaciological Societ is a society of volunteers
interested in spreading knowledge about glaciers, sup-
porting research by building huts on glaciers and
participating in expeditions on glaciers. This society
has greatly expedited glacier research in Iceland. The
enthusiastic pioneer, Jón Eyþórsson, stimulated people
to collaboration and his influence and spirit remains in
the Iceland Glaciological Society.
Helgi Björnsson
2
JOKULL, No. 45, 1998