Heavy melting on Kebnekaise's southern peak
The summit glacier on Kebnekaise's southern peak continues to shrink. The annual altitude measurement at the end of the summer shows that Sydtoppen (the South Peak) – Sweden's former highest point – is now 3.3 meters lower than last year and also 6.9 meters lower than Kebnekaise's north peak.
On 15 September, staff at Stockholm University's research station in Tarfala in northern Sweden carried out the annual measurement of Kebnekaise's southern peak. The height was measured at 2089.9 meters above sea level. This represents a decrease of 3.3 metres since September 2023, when the height was set at 2093.2 metres.
“This year's melting of 3.3 meters is the strongest in three decades. At the same time, the month of August, with an average temperature of 9.1 °C measured at Tarfala Research Station, was also significantly warmer than usual – over the past 10 years, the average temperature was 6.5 °C during August. This may explain why the melting on the South Peak this year is more than twice as large as the melting observed there over the past decade. Then it usually stayed between one and two meters. There were also a few years with little growth," says Nina Kirchner, professor of glaciology and director of Tarfala Research Station.
The measurements also mean that for the sixth year in a row, the North Peak constitutes Sweden's highest point – it is now 6.9 meters higher than the South Peak – after having overtaken The South Peak for the first time in 2019 with a 1.2 meter difference in height.
“The North Peak, which is an ice-free rock peak, has a fixed height of 2096.8 meters, while the height of the South Peak, which is covered by a peak glacier, varies from year to year. It can also vary between seasons, depending on how much snow has accumulated on the top glacier during the winter, and how much melting of snow and ice has occurred during the summer. The South Peak is still Sweden's second highest peak, but if the melting trend continues, Sarektjåkko's large peak will be number two within a short time," says Johanna Dahlkvist, Technical and Field Operations Manager at Tarfala Research Station.
The measurement series for Kebnekaise's south peak, which began in 1951, is freely available on the Bolin Centre's database and will be updated shortly with this year's figures.
Bolin Centre's database with measurement series for Kebnekaise's south peak
Read more about Tarfala Research Station
See a video from Kebnekaise's south peak:
Last updated: September 20, 2024
Source: Communications Office