Logbook for the MRM and ERM study trip 2015 to

Day 1 20th April - Arrival

We arrived at Keflavik airport at 14:00, where the minibuses were waiting for us. Already, the harsh nature and cold winds made its impression on most of us, as the winter still had its grab in the island. Now, a 220 km drive was ahead of us to the hostel in Vik in the mid-south part of the island. On the way, we stopped at the Selfoss waterfall – one of the most spectacular ones in Iceland. Outside the populated zones of Iceland, the nature was just wonderful. One type of nature and rocks were continuously superseded by another and close to Vik, we got the first glimpse of the vast glaciers that characterise the southern and south-eastern parts of Iceland. Safely, we arrived at the Vik Hostel where we were to spend the next two days.

Day 2 21th April - Vatnajökull National Park (Skaftafell)

On our second day in Iceland, we drove to one of Europe’s largest national parks: Vatnajökull National park established in 2008 (an increase of the former 400-500 km2 Skaftafell National Park est. in1967).

The group went to go on a 3-hour hike around the historical park and an additional 1-hour hike to the glacier. Vatnajökull National park has a great variety of landscape features, created by rivers, glacial-, volcanic- and geothermal activity in addition to comprising the biggest glacier in Europe and covering 14% of Iceland. The total area of the national park is approx. 13.952 km2 (in 2015) and the glacier covers an area of 8,100 km2, with a thickness of 400-950 meters and rises up to 2,000 meters above sea level (lowest point is 300 meters below sea level). Vatnajökull is, with the exception of one other glacier, the place in Iceland with the highest rainfall and water drainage to the ocean; so much, that if the Icelandic river with the greatest flow (Ölfusá) would carry the same amount from land to sea, it would take it over 200 years.

The south side of Vatnajökull is characterised by high mountain ridges and “glacier tongues” sliding between them down into the valleys. The south part of the glacier encloses the Öræfajökull and represents the highest peak in Iceland, Hvannadalshnjúkur, from where you can see the high ice, the vegetated forest areas and all the way to the black sand (composed ash) along the river Skeiðará, leading to the ocean. And on the west side you, already on the way to the glacier, see the results of substantial volcanic activity, charactering the landscape west of Vatnajökull, as two of the world's greatest fracture and eruptions of historical times occurred (Eldgjá in 934 and Lakagígar 1783-1784).

On the first hike we went past Hundifoss, getting its name from a story, of how the farmers had to build a fence along the river to prevent their dogs from falling in the river and down the waterfall under flash floods. After this we past the old farm houses of Skaftafell; once a manor farm during the Middle Ages until it was taken over by the Church, and consequently owned by the Danish realm. In the mid-20th century, farming methods changed; the land in Skaftafell was considered ideal for forestry, but the landowners luckily 'wanted to preserve their land and not change it into a foreign forest'. After the Skaftafell farm we came past the Svartifoss ('Black waterfall'), created through volcanic activity and carved through by water, still changing the landscape till this day.

Today the objectives of preserving Vatnajökull are to; protect the nature in the region (landscape, biota and geological formations, in addition to cultural features), allow the public to enjoy and learn from the nature, culture and history, and encourage research on the field.

Vik Hostel Our first two nights (20.04 – 22.04) we spent in Vík - a small village with approx. 300 inhabitants - in the most southern part of Iceland with the amazing Reynisfjara beach and Dyrhólaey island close by. It is located about 190 km southeast from Reykjavík. Since the village was rather remote and small (hence no supermarkets) we were lucky to get breakfast at the Vík Hostel. We would have never wanted to miss that! The hostel offered us home-made bread, waffles, orange marmalade, all kinds of jams, dandelion syrup, home-made juices and best Icelandic products, like cucumbers, tomatoes and smoked trout.

The Vik Hostel

In 2013 Vík Hostel was successfully labelled as Green Hostel.

To be able to use the Green Hostel logo the hostel must fulfill General Quality Standards, as well as additional environmental criteria, that HI Iceland decides and supervises, with the professional support of a consulting agency which audits the hostels.

1) Consumption: The hostel is only using reusable tableware. The hostel is making a clear effort to buy in bulks and reduce unnecessary waste from packaging when buying new products. E.g. Buckets from marmalade are re-used, glass bottles are reused for guests picnics. It was obvious that the owners are inventive and economical. Eco-labelled products: Toilet paper, wipes, cleaning products, washing powder and hand soap. Information about Icelandic water is available. There is water on the breakfast table. The hostel makes an effort to buy Icelandic products. E.g. cucumbers, tomatoes, milk, flat bread (flatbrauð) and dandelion syrup. The owner makes her own marmalade, jam, bread, home grown eggs, juice, waffles and more. This is stated in the hostels men and with signs on the breakfast table. The signs are home-made; painted stones from the shore.

2) Reusing and Recycling: The hostel is creative in reusing things (e.g. furniture and curtains). The hostel sorts the waste in the self-catering kitchen and in the kitchen used by the staff. The hostel collects plastic containers and reuses in gardening; collects all glass jars and bottles and reuses for jam and juices. In the kitchen there are signed bins for each category: Soda and drinking cans and bottles, Batteries, Organic waste, Medicine, Cardboard, Newspaper and magazines, Milk and juice containers, Toxic substances. The staff is trained verbally about waste handling. Also, a folder with written information is available, with procedures for cleaning and recycling.

3) Pollution: The hostel has clear instructions for the washing machine and the amount of washing powder to use. The washing powder for clothes is eco-labelled. The hand soap and the dishwashing detergent is eco-labelled. The hostel is not using any toilet refresher. A lot of the furniture and tableware is bought second hand. The hostel is reusing drift wood, and using local materials (beach black stones) to design furniture and decoration. Toxins / strong materials are not used for daily cleaning or other ordinary operations. The owner takes the sorted waste to a recycling station close by. All garbage bins are checked and cleaned daily.

4) Energy and Water: The hostel is keeping a log for energy usage. There is no meter for the water usage. The hostel is recommended to log every month. The owners states that the plumbing and heating system is checked regularly. When renewing the light bulbs they are replaced with energy efficient bulbs. The hostel is aware of the sustainable issues aspects when new equipment is needed. E.g. newly bought dishwasher was energy efficient (A+). Guests are reminded to turn of the light with signs. In the end of the day lights are always turned off. When guests leave, the heating is turned down in the rooms. Outdoor lighting is equipped with motion sensors.

5) Transportation: Guests are informed about busses and other ways to share trips. The hostel even plans trips where guests share a car.

6) Environmental Education: The Environmental policy is hung up in public spaces, visible to visitors and guests, in Icelandic and in English. The first step when new staff is trained is an introduction to context of the Environmental Policy and the quality standards of HI Iceland. The attitudes of visitors are checked by using "your opinion" papers. Access the results regularly and respond to its effects.

Day 3 22nd April – the black beach, puffins – – hot river

The day started by driving out to an area, which was known to have puffins but unfortunately we weren’t able to locate them. The puffins number has also been declining drastically given that they have been hunted heavenly in the past. In this area we also saw black beaches, which were created by volcanic activity. After that we went to the waterfall Skögafoss, which is one of the famous waterfalls in the area near Vik.

The Black Beach Afterwards we went for a scenic detour before heading back towards Reykjavik. On this detour we saw Hekla from a distance, which is one of the most famous volcanoes of Iceland. The volcano is known for its activity and obstacles it brings to the Icelandic people given that it normally erupts every 10 years. It has been several years overdue though. On this detour we also saw 2 windmills, which was attached to a closed area. This got us wondering why there weren’t more windmills in the area. We got the answer through our contact at the university, who told us that the reason, why there weren’t any more windmills, were because of the very strong winds in Iceland, which simple should be too much for the windmills. This and that the view of unspoiled nature would be harmed through the sight of windmill parks. The road also followed the biggest river in Iceland, which was used for hydropower. The day ended with a hike through a track near the town of Hverageroi, which end destination is a hot river, which was warmed through geothermal energy. The track was also full of spots where steam exited the earth crust. It was therefore a good experience to see and feel the geothermal energy on our own bodies.

Day 4 rd 23 April – Reykjavik tour – national holiday

Thursday, we did a Reykjavik tour to see some of the main sights in Reykjavik. The first stop of the tour was the Höfði House, built 1909, which was famous for housing the 1986 meeting of Presidents Ronald Reagan of the United States and Mikhail Gorbachev of the Soviet Union. This meeting was one of the main events to end the Cold War and today Höfði is used to house e.g. formal receptions. The next stop was the Sun Voyager (or “Sólfar” in Icelandic), a sculpture created in 1990 by the Icelandic artist Jón Gunnar Árnason. The sculpture was created as an ode to the sun and has the form of a “dreamboat”. It won the competition for an outdoor sculpture commemorating the 200th anniversary of Reykjavik. The third stop of the tour was the concert hall and conference centre of Reykjavik or Harpa, which was designed by the Danish firm Henning Larsen Architects and completed in 2011. It cost € 164 mio. and houses the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the Icelandic Opera. Next stop was the Reykjavik City Hall, built 1992 and housing a large 3D map of Iceland, in addition to the offices of the mayor of Reykjavik.

We then walked past Tjörnin, a pond situated in the middle of Reykjavik, to Hallgrímskirkja, a church named after Hallgrímur Pétursson, an Icelandic poet and priest. It was designed by Guðjón Samuélsson and the iconic front of the church is said to resemble the basalt lava formations seen throughout the Icelandic landscape. The church was founded in 1945 but it was completed as late as 1986, thus it took 38 years to complete the building. A statue of the Viking explorer Leif Eriksson is situated in the front of the church.

Day 5 24th April – geothermal plant, University of Iceland

Svartsengi Geothermal Power Plant

The plant is owned by HS ORKA HF, which again is a daughter company of the ALTERRA Power Corporation, a Canadian renewable energy company. The Svartsengi power plant was first commissioned in 1976 and with the electric capacity of 76 MW it produces electrical energy equivalent to 7 per cent of Iceland’s demand. The bore holes are between 200 and 400 meter deep and the plant was build and further improved in phases. Until today the plant was improved six times. Today, it provides thermal energy to the surrounding areas such as Grindavik and other small towns in the area until Rejkjavik, which has its own geothermal power source close by. The excess heat is also used to provide the blue lagoon with hot water. Before the original blue lagoon was located on the site of today’s Svartsengi power plant.

The water of the power plant comes to one third from underground fresh water reserves and to two thirds from underground sea water. In the 1990s the water pressure sank and a reinjection method had to be built in order to provide further energy and hot water to the peninsula. Therefore, Víðir Sveins Jónsson, the public relations manager, who made the tour for us, stressed that only since the reinjection the power plant can be regarded as a sustainable source of energy. In total 13 production wells are in operation and average water temperature is around 240 °C.

During the history of the power plant technology improved continuously. This can be seen in the rising turbine capacities which increased from six MW per turbine to 30 MW of the latest turbine, which is also called the Octopus and is built by a Japanese company. Moreover, the turbines are arranged in row and high pressure turbines with highest capacity at the beginning of the chain are followed by smaller low pressure turbines with lower capacity. This way the steam pressure is used more efficiently. In total the power plant has 10 generators and only 30 workers are employed, in order to provide sufficient operation and also maintenance. Each summer the power plant is shut down in order to control and change corroded parts. All maintenance and know-how comes from the company itself.

Inside the Svartsengi power plant.

One environmental problem to which we could not get any answer is the discharge of the hot water. After the water had run through the turbines some if it is reinjected, but also a significant part is directed at fish farms near the shore. Only a small fraction of the heat energy is used for the fish farms, whereas the rest is discharged into the ocean. There seems to be no regulation about the discharge water and temperature of the water, when it is discharged into the ocean. As we found out at the meeting at the university, there are also severe problems with hydrogen sulphide, which seems to be discharged from the power plant. The discharge is not continuous and the gas reaches higher concentrations in the presence of inversions, which makes it hard to measure and to report.

The economic side of the company is sustainable and the EBITDA of 2014 was 2.74 bn ISK. New investments amounted to 1.24 ISK. Total electricity production was 1.338 GWh, which constitutes 73 per cent of the company’s income (HS ORKA 2014). The mentioned numbers, the thorough monitoring of wells and also new planned projects are signs of a sustainable company. Sources: SH ORKA annual report 2014. Online: http://arsskyrsla2014.hsorka.is/en/

University of Iceland

The University of Iceland is a state university, situated in the heart of Reykjavik. The university offers opportunities for study and research in almost 400 programs spanning most fields of science; over 13,200 students are enrolled at the university, with 3,800 being graduate students. The program we were particularly interested in was the graduate program in Environment and Natural Resources, which is jointly organized by all five Schools of the university; Education, Engineering and Natural Sciences, Health Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences. This cross-disciplinary collaboration fosters interdisciplinary thinking and gives students the unique opportunity to design a tailor made study program based on their interests.

The two year master program consist of 120 ECTS, which is the same workload as at the Environmental and Resource Management program at the Southern University of Denmark in Esbjerg. Yet, what makes this program unlike the master program in Esbjerg is the possibility to choose up to 10 electives at any of the university’s faculties. It is not understated to say, that we were blown away by the immense choice of electives. The range available makes it almost difficult to choose. Be it EU Environmental Law; Climate Change, the Past, Present and Future; Energy Economics, Energy Policy and Sustainable Development; Environment and Planning; or Natural Hazards and Society, to just name a few.

In a vivid discussion with Throstur Thorsteinsson, Associate Professor, we were among other things updated about possible issues concerning windmills on Iceland. Obviously, this topic was particularly relevant to us, yet on Iceland the wind conditions are not as stable as in our region, with extreme lows and highs and alternating flat and mountainous landscape. Additionally, the acceptance in the society is not given, since it is feared that windmills could destroy the beautiful landscape, which is believed to also affect tourism. Issues in relation to tourism are the lack of infrastructure, which we also to some extent experienced. To fund a larger transportation network a so called ‘nature pass’ for tourists is seen as viable option for further growth of the industry.

Tourism is one of the cornerstones of Iceland’s GDP, along with the aluminum smelting and fishery industry. Throstur showed on the basis of diagrams and plots that 74.10 per cent of the electricity consumed on Iceland originates from the aluminum smelting industry, whereas the households themselves consume 5 per cent only. Additionally, the aluminum smelters produce a respectable amount of CO2, which is not well seen on Iceland, however, not the only environmental problem they are facing. A widely discussed topic is also the usage of geothermal, which is mostly used for space heating and electricity, with 43 and 40 per cent respectively. H2S released due to installed power plants is believed to be the cause for respiratory diseases and higher risk of death. High quality sound studios are complaining that silver in the instruments used has to be replaced faster than before the installation and winter months bring a high concentration of H2S, which most people do not see as acceptable. That is also one of the reasons why new geothermal plants are unlikely to be installed at the moment.

Generally it can be said that we all got something out of the discussion with Throstur and that we learned some interesting facts about Iceland that we were not aware before. Especially the immense electricity consumption of the aluminum smelters and the fact that buses in Reykjavik still run on methane was surprising, given the fact of fast renewable energy options available.

After the intense lecture we got a little tour of the university with a final stop in the university bar. Even though we made no use of it, due to a tight time schedule, it has to be admitted that our ‘beach bar’ is lacking the standard of the bar of the University of Iceland.

Day 6 25th April – Golden Circle

On Saturday the 25th of April we went on the „Golden-Circle-Tour“. This includes several spots of big importance for Icelandic history and culture as well as environmental preservation and protection. 1. Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park

The Þingvellir is considered to be one of the most historic places in Iceland. It was home to the oldest parliament in Europe, founded by Norwegian Vikings wanting to be independent of a king at around 900 AD. It is located around 40 km northeast of Reykjavik right next to the Þingvallavatn, Iceland’s biggest lake with a size of 83 km² and a maximum depth of 114 m. It is also located on the Mid Atlantic Ridge and is home to the supposedly best visible junction between two tectonic plates. The area has been adopted by the UNSECO World Heritage in 2004 and has been a national park since 1930. On our visit we walked through the canyon of the tectonic plates and learned about the history of the Þingvellir parliament.

2. Geothermal Area and “Geysir”

Our second stop that day was at the geothermal area of Haukadalur, which is home to the geysers Geysir and Strokkur and several small hot springs and streams, with water temperatures between 80°-100°C. The nearby hotel and several farms are heated through geothermal power of one of the springs. The name geyser, coming from the Icelandic “gojsa” for bubbling hot water, is origin for the word geyser all over the world. Until the beginning of the 20th century it used to be very active with a water and steam fountain of 60 meters every hour. Probably as a consequence of an earthquake this stopped and now only Strokkur shows fountains of around 20m in height every five to ten minutes. We were lucky to see that spectacular sight a couple of times and also learned about how geysers work.

3. Gullfoss

The third attraction on the tour is the huge waterfall Gullfoss. At its’ peak up to 109 m³/s can be flowing down the river Hvitá, which the Gullfoss is a part of. It is made up of two steps. Loose gravel under the layers of lavastones is being transported away by the water and the lava breaks off, that way the waterfall “moves” back around 30 cm per year and, over the last ten thousand years, created a canyon of 2.5 km. The waterfall is also an example of the constant Icelandic battle between protecting the nature and using its power for energy. In the 1920’s British speculates, tenants to the land, wanted to build a hydropower plant, but were facing strong opposition of the daughter of the owner of the waterfall. Sigríður Tómasdóttir fought a long jurisdictial fight, without any outcome. Only when she threatened to kill herself in the waterfall, the speculates dropped their plan and left. A memorial next to the waterfall reminds of her and how she preserved the nature. Leaving the waterfall, we continued the discussion of the talk in the university about how to deal with these things, whether to use the power for energy, or preserve the nature for the natives and tourists.

4. Skálholt

Our next stop led us to Skálholt. It used to be the cultural and religious center of Iceland and was the seat of the catholic bishops from 1056, when Christianity reached Iceland, until the Lutheran church took over in 1551. Eleven churches have been built on the ground since 1056, but most were built of wood and burned down. It is still used as a site for an open air festivals.

5. Kerið volcano crater

Our last natural attraction on the tour was the volcanic crater-lake Kerið. The lake at the bottom of the 55 meter deep crater is at water level and therefore not due to rainfall. It’s characteristic green color is due to minerals in the water. Scientists disagree about the age of the crater, and we have read numbers at 3000 and 6000 years of age. We could hike around the crater and also go down to the water.

After Kerið our final stop before Reykjavik was at a local restaurant selling earth cooked food, so food entirely cooked with the steam and heat of geothermal hot tubs in the area.

Day 7 26th April – Whale safari – The blue lagoon – natural hot tubs

The whole group went for a pre-booked whale watching on the 26th of April 2015. We went to the harbour for departure at 9 o’clock, but due to “rough water” we had to be transported for 45 minutes to a nearby harbour from where we would depart. Here we got on a ship together with other groups, looking forward to the whale watching. We started to sail up north, not far from the coast, for about 1 hour, without seeing any whales. We then turned around and sailed back pass the harbour and continued about 1 hour south instead in hope of seeing whales. Unfortunately there weren’t any whales on sight, so we went back to the harbour without having seen any whales. Nevertheless we saw a few uncommon birds while at sea. After this cold experience, the group split up. Some wanted to go the blue lagoon and others wanted to save some money and went to some natural hot tubs near Reykjavik. Both groups had a great last experience in Iceland followed by a very uncomfortable and cold night at the airport.