PDF · janúar 2006

Coastal erosi­on and coastal protecti­on near the bridge across Jökulsá river, Breiða­merk­ursand­ur, Iceland (Athug­un á strandrofi og strand­vörn­um á Breiða­merk­ursandi), grein birt á ráðstefnu: „Second Internati­onal coastal symposi­um in Iceland“, sem hald­in var á Höfn í Horna­firði sumar­ið 2005

During the twentieth century there has been a substantial coastal erosion on
Breiðamerkursandur near the bridge across Jökulsá river. From 1904 to 2003 the erosion has
been 770 m or about 8 m/year. This erosion threatens the safety of the road (Route One)
across Breiðamerkursandur and two powerlines. Since 1990 the Public Roads Administration
has initiated various research projects in the area, the aim being to maintain a secure road
across Breiðamerkursandur. Herein, this research is described and the main emphasis is on
the possibility of securing the road by defending the coast. Sea defences are shown to be a
viable solution to the problem of maintaining a secure road across Breiðamerkursandur. The
feasibility of sea defences is among other things based on the fact that land at the southeast
coast of Iceland is rising due to reduced ice volume of glaciers in the area. Current uplift
rates at the edge of Vatnajökull are 15 mm/year and the uplift rate may be as high as 40
mm/year in 2050, with total uplift at the ice edge of 4 m from 2000 to 2100.