Last week’s storm was the most fatal natural disaster to Iceland’s horses in decades. The situation was worst in Vestur- and Austur Húnavatnssýsla, but horses died elsewhere around the country as well.
Since yesterday evening, over two dozen people have visited the emergency room at the National University Hospital of Iceland owing to icy conditions in the Greater Reykjavík area.
The road through Svínadalur, near Súlá river in Leirársveit, broke apart this morning, trapping three tourists who could not get their car out again.
For the second time in less than a month, a large pod of pilot whales has been discovered stranded on an Icelandic beach.Two-thirds of them were saved and driven back out to sea.
The body of a minke whale washed ashore in the Grandi area of Reykjavík yesterday, shortly following the discovery of a dead orca whale near Hólmavík in the Westfjords.
The exact species is not known. Part of the carcass has ballooned with gas, a common occurrence with beached whales.
Samtökin Orca Guardians telja að háhyrningur sem rak á land við Heydalsá á Ströndum sé háhyrningur sem samtökin sáu síðast úti fyrir Grundarfirði í janúar 2016. Samtökin halda úti ljósmyndasafni með yfir 400 háhyrningum við Íslandsstrendur til að þekkja þá í sundur og fylgjast með ferðum þeirra, samsetningu hópa, fæðuvali og stofnstærð.
Queens are usually out and about at this time of year feeding up on nectar and preparing to nest for the summer. Things are disappointingly quiet this spring, and last summer’s endless rain is the likely reason.
Pollen from birch trees was carried along with dust from the Sahara Desert on strong winds that originated in Eastern Europe.
A golden plover, traditionally believed to announce the arrival of spring in Iceland, was spotted in Stokkseyri on March 28, a little later than usual. They spends the winter as far south as North Africa, returning north to breed.
As a result, the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute (MFRI) will not permit fishing of the species this coming season. Capelin is the second most important export species of fish in Iceland after cod.
The stock of arctic char in Elliðavatn lake has almost collapsed. Similar developments are taking place in Norway as well. Hilmar Malmquist, head of the freshwater division at the Marine Research Institute, believe that climate change is the main explanation.
The capital area, along with most of Iceland, has experienced constant below-freezing temperatures for a couple of weeks now.
The average temperature was higher than normal in all parts of the country and in Reykjavík November was warmer than October.
It rained solidly in Reykjavík from 15.00 on Friday and most of Saturday, and it was heavy rain by any standard, according to meteorologist Einar Sveinbjörnsson. Around 80 mm of rain had fallen by the end of the soaking—which is slightly higher than the average for the entire month of November.
The latest group to feel the ongoing effect of Iceland’s poor summer weather this year is the country’s bird population. With few berries and seeds on trees and bushes in the southern half of the country, experts worry for the birds’ survival this winter.
Two bird species that breed in the northernmost parts of the world are currently on a rare visit to Iceland as they make their way south for the winter.
Nine whales have been stranded so far this year in East Iceland. Bottlenose whales and Curvier’s beaked whales are members of the family Ziphiidae and it’s often been said that they are more sensitive to noise pollution in the ocean.
But an Icelandic whale-watching crew spotted the right whale named Mogul three times this week, leaving a research scientist wondering why the animal ventured so far.
The landslide is thought to be the largest that has ever occurred in Iceland. Experts say that the uncommonly wet summer weather is to blame for the event.
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