Ragnar Heiðar Þrastarson


Ragnar Heiðar Þrastarson

Ragnar is Head of Geographical Information Systems at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, a glacier terminus surveyor and landowner in Reykjarfjörður, and a member of the Hafnarfjörður Rescue Team

16 October 2026 14:00 - 14:45
Kaldalón

The lecture covers updates to crevasse maps for Iceland’s larger glaciers, which are essential reference data for glacier travel. It reviews data collection, the use of remote sensing data, and how reports from travelers about open crevasses on travel routes or newly formed crevasse areas contribute to the mapping process. Winter snow cover has been below average for the past two winters, and there was significant glacier melt in the summer of 2025, which has made crevasse fields more visible than before. The crevasse maps are drawn from autumn imagery, when summer melt is largely complete. The new crevasse maps are openly accessible and available for download through the map viewer of the Icelandic Institute of Natural History. The lecture will also address the challenges of constantly changing glacier environments and the importance of communicating information consistently to travelers.