Iceland review - 2017, Síða 72

POLLUTION IN
PARADISE
The ecosystem of Mývatn lake in Northeast Iceland is facing a serious
threat of pollution. The natural beauty has attracted a rapidly increasing
number of visitors in recent years, aggravating the problem.
Visiting Mývatn in Northeast Iceland is like
landing in Paradise. This lake with more than
50 islands is unique in the world for being
home to 115 species of birds, including 28 types of
duck. The geography of the area includes rare pseudo
crater landforms, made by steam explosions as lava
flowed into the lake, and exceptional lava formations,
all surrounded by a circle of mountains. At the end of
March, when I visit, most of the migrant birds have
yet to arrive but there is plenty to admire. Winter is
yielding to spring: the mountains watch over the lake
like a herd of zebras, the remnants of snow forming
white stripes across their backs next to snowless stripes
of black. The lake itself is waking up after the sleep of
winter. This natural beauty has opened one eye to the
thaw of spring. Where the ice has melted, a flock of
swans delights in the stillness, their images reflected in
the perfect mirror of the surface. Underneath, howev-
er, problems are looming.
SIGNS OF TROUBLE
Mývatn is threatened by pollution, believed
to be caused by human activity. A high level
of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), a sign
of eutrophication, was detected in the lake
in March 2016. Eutrophication is an exces-
sive richness of nutrients, such as phosphor
and nitrate. Cyanobacteria occur natural-
ly in the ecosystem but excessive nutrients
from human activity—sewage, fertilizer and
industry—cause it to bloom. Guðmundur
Ingi Guðbrandsson, CEO of the Iceland
Environment Association, explains: “Too
many nutrients cause an imbalance of the
existing biosphere. Bacteria and algae, nat-
urally present, get a boost, leading to over-
growth. At the surface of the lake, a ‘mat’ is
created, which the rays of the sun have trouble
BY VALA HAFSTAÐ.
PHOTOS BY PÁLL STEFÁNSSON.
This lake with
more than 50
islands is unique
in the world for
being home to
115 species of
birds, including
28 types of
duck.
70 ICELAND REVIEW