Iceland is unique in many ways. As one of the largest islands in the Atlantic, climate change and the influence of humans on the environment play an important role in its island ecosystem. However, Iceland's ecology is extremely sensitive. While nature is resilient, it can only take so many blows. Over half of Iceland is a barren wasteland where nature provides neither food nor shelter from the North Atlantic winds.
Iceland is located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge where the Earth forms new crust. With half of Iceland on the Eurasian Plate and the other half on the North American Plate, the island is being split apart by the movement of these plates. Since Iceland is on this fault line, it is able to obtain most of its energy from renewable sources and has no national grid. As of 2008, Iceland got 80% of its electricity from hydropower thanks to its glaciers and rivers in the interior. Geothermal power provided roughly 20% of Iceland’s electricity and an almost unlimited supply of inexpensive hot water.
However, humans have had an extreme impact on Iceland’s vegetation, soils, and landscape. While Iceland and Greenland—island ecosystems—were settled around the same time, only the Icelandic settlement survived. When the Vikings first arrived, they found Arctic birch forests, coastal sea mammal and sea bird colonies, migratory nesting birds, and green grass that could feed their imported domestic livestock. The introduction of domestic farm animals and European crops along with introduced species of plants, animals and insects accelerated the destruction of grassland. Rapid deforestation accelerated soil erosion by exposing soils to wind and water. As a result, 90% of Iceland’s forest and 40% of its soil have disappeared, and 73% of the modern land surface is currently affected by soil erosion.
Since much of Iceland is Arctic desert without vegetation and untouched by humanity, it bears a striking resemblance to Mars. NASA scientists believe that if they study Iceland, they can better understand the so-called Red Planet. Both Mars and Iceland are full of active volcanoes, for example. Iceland is 20 million years old—young in geological terms—and is a primeval landscape. The absence of trees reveals the island’s geological makeup.
Prior to the decade of environmentalism that was the 1970s, relatively little research was done on Iceland’s ecology. But today, researchers are beginning to connect the long-term record of human interaction with the present issues of rapid environmental change and human response. The degradation and desertification of Iceland for over 1,000 years is similar to what is happening in many parts of the world today. When nature fails to provide, hunger, war and social unrest often follow. The ever-increasing demand for food and natural resources from a rapidly growing human population has exerted environmental stress resulting in widespread ecosystem degradation. Desertification is the extreme form of this degradation and is estimated to affect the living conditions of one billion people. The desertification of Iceland exemplifies the fact that this problem extends beyond Africa and the dryland regions of the world.
Comments