Freshwater - Why care? (Iceland)

Iceland has the highest renewable freshwater availability per person in Europe. Heavy rainfall, an average of 2 000 mm per year, and the fact that Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe, means that there is abundant water per person and the majority of the population has access to plentiful freshwater supplies.

For centuries, this water was considered a serious obstacle for travel and transport. Rivers are short with rapid currents and great volumes of water were difficult to cross. Rivers on the oldest impervious bedrock with little vegetation cover react instantly to precipitation and snow melting. The runoff from melting glaciers contains, in addition to great volumes of water, an immense amount of suspended load and bottom drift. These river types react very strongly to increased temperature and precipitation (1).

The benefit, on the other hand, is a general good access to good quality drinking water, especially in areas with lava run in recent times where the bedrock is very permeable. There the precipitation seeps down into the ground creating large groundwater reservoirs and spring fed rivers with very stable runoff characteristics of clear water throughout the year. These waters, entirely different and much richer than the North American, Greenland and Scandinavian lakes on similar altitudes that drain old continental shield rocks, provide habitats for spectacular plant and animal communities (2).

The productive rivers and lakes are an important amenity for recreational activities. Salmon and trout fisheries have been of high economic value since Iceland’s initial settlement, contributing as much as 50 % of the total income for residents in productive salmon areas.

In addition, Iceland’s fresh waters are of high economic value for hydro- and geothermal power. With district heating services, based on geothermal water, that started distributing hot running water early in the last century, people's access to house heating and hot water for hygiene changed the quality of life markedly. The shift to utilising hot geothermal water instead of oil, coal and gas for space heating improved air quality during the last century due to decreased emission of polluting gases and particles. In addition, annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in Iceland are estimated to be 45 % lower because of this shift (c.f. 3).

Although abundant, these resources are not limitless and not evenly distributed. There is also a growing public demand to take a greater account of nature conservation concerns and sustainable management in the utilisation of hydro- and geothermal energy sources.

References

(1) Sigurjón Rist, 1990. Vatns er þörf. Bókaútgáfa Menningarsjóðs.

(2) Pétur M. Jónasson, 1992. Iceland – an island astride the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. – Oikos 64: 9-13.

(3) Hrefna Kristmannsdóttir og Sigríður Halldórsdóttir, 2008. Heilsufarsáhrif heitavatnsnotkunar á Íslandi. Ritröð Heilbrigðisvísindastofnunar Háskólans á Akureyri nr. 1, 2008. Unnið fyrir Samorku. Útgefandi: Heilbrigðisvísindastofnun HA. ISSN 1670-8040.