Harbardsbreen glacier in Norway splits into multiple sections after rapid melt

Long-term observations of Harbardsbreen in Vestland's Breheimen region indicate that the glacier has undergone a dramatic transformation, fragmenting into two principal ice masses and several smaller pieces. Satellite imagery from the Copernicus program, comparing data from 2019 with the most recent captures, shows the glacier's surface area falling from 22.6 km² to just over 14 km². As Norway's 11th-largest glacier, Harbardsbreen sits between the larger Jostedalsbreen to the west and the Jotunheimen mountains to the east.

Glaciologists attribute the rapid shrinkage to sustained climate warming, a trend observed across many of the country's glaciers in the last quarter-century. The altered landscape will require an update to Norway's glacier inventory once a new nationwide mapping effort is completed. Authorities note that while the breakup may open new travel corridors, it also raises the possibility of jökullaup—glacial lake outburst floods—that could cause significant downstream damage.