Vatnajökull
Vatnajökull is a vast ice cap in southeastern Iceland that covers several active volcanoes and forms the center of Vatnajökull National Park.
Glacier: A persistent mass of land ice that moves under its own weight. Vatnajökull is an ice cap, a broad glacier system flowing outward from a central area.
Vatnajökull National Park: A protected area in southeastern Iceland centered on Vatnajökull and its surrounding landscapes. The ice cap forms the park’s defining feature and occupies much of its central area.
Iceland: An island country in the North Atlantic formed by volcanism along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Vatnajökull occupies a large part of Iceland’s southeastern interior.
Öræfajökull: A large ice-covered volcano at the southeastern edge of Vatnajökull in Iceland. Its summit ice conceals one of Iceland’s largest volcanic systems.
Ice cap: A dome-shaped mass of land ice covering less than 50,000 square kilometers, unconstrained by underlying topography. This is the glacial form Vatnajökull takes across southeastern Iceland.
Icelandic Meteorological Office: Iceland’s national agency for weather, climate, hydrology, and natural-hazard monitoring. The agency tracks volcanic activity, floods, and environmental changes around the ice cap.
Mid-Atlantic Ridge: A submarine mountain chain marking the divergent boundary between the Eurasian and North American plates. Icelandic volcanic activity, including systems beneath Vatnajökull, is tied to this spreading ridge.
Bárðarbunga: A large active volcano beneath the northwestern part of Vatnajökull. Its 2014–2015 eruption fed the Holuhraun lava field beyond the glacier.
Jökulhlaup: A sudden glacial outburst flood, often caused by subglacial volcanic activity or the release of a lake. Meltwater beneath Vatnajökull can escape in destructive floods called jökulhlaups.
Glacier mass balance: The difference between the snow and ice a glacier gains and loses over a period. Measurements reveal whether Vatnajökull is gaining or losing ice.