Austfonna | Svalbard's Sleeping Giant of Ice

Discovery by Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld

Swedish explorer Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld first documented Austfonna during his 1873 expedition to Svalbard, though Pomor hunters and whalers likely knew of its existence centuries earlier. 

Nordenskiöld was surveying the archipelago's northern islands when he encountered this massive ice formation, and his detailed maps helped put Nordaustlandet on the scientific radar. 

The real breakthrough in understanding Austfonna came much later - serious glaciological studies didn't begin until the 1950s and 1960s, when researchers started measuring ice thickness and movement patterns.

The most dramatic chapter in Austfonna's documented history occurred between 1936 and 1938, when Bråsvellbreen, the ice cap's largest outlet glacier, surged forward at an astonishing rate. This glacier, whose name means 'crashing ice stream,' lived up to its title by advancing several kilometres in just two years. 

Norwegian scientists documented the event, watching as the ice pushed massive amounts of sediment and rock into the sea. It remains one of the most significant glacier surges ever recorded in Svalbard.

Where ice meets the sea

Austfonna sprawls across Nordaustlandet with an average thickness of around 560 meters, though some areas plunge much deeper. What makes the Austfonna ice cap particularly striking is how it flows directly into the Arctic Ocean through several outlet glaciers. 

Bråsvellbreen creates one of the longest glacier fronts in the Northern Hemisphere, stretching approximately 200 kilometres along the southeastern coast. When conditions allow you to approach by sea, you'll see towering ice cliffs that drop straight into the water, creating an almost surreal boundary between frozen land and open ocean.

The ice cap feeds at least seven major outlet glaciers, each with its own character and movement patterns. Some flow quickly, surging forward in dramatic pulses, while others creep along at a glacial pace—literally. 

Exposed layers in the ice cliffs reveal centuries of accumulated snowfall, offering a rare visual record of long-term ice formation and movement.

Scientists have been studying Austfonna for decades because it serves as an important indicator of climate patterns in the High Arctic, and what they're learning has implications far beyond Svalbard's shores.

When you can visit Austfonna

Here's the reality—visiting Austfonna is never guaranteed, even during the summer months when it's theoretically accessible. The window for expedition cruises to reach Nordaustlandet runs from late June through early September, but ice conditions and weather can change everything. 

Heavy pack ice often blocks the waters around the island well into July, and some years it never clears enough for ships to safely approach. Strong winds, fog, and rough seas can also prevent vessels from getting close to the glacier fronts.

You won't find any roads leading to Austfonna, and there aren't any airports nearby where you can catch a convenient flight. The only way to experience this ice cap is by expedition ship during the brief Arctic summer. 

Wildlife around the ice

The waters and shores around Austfonna support a surprising array of Arctic wildlife, particularly during the summer months when you'd be visiting. Polar bears regularly patrol the ice edges and coastlines here, hunting for ringed seals and bearded seals that haul out on the ice floes. 

The combination of cold-water upwelling and glacial meltwater creates nutrient-rich conditions that attract fish, which in turn attract seals and the bears that hunt them.

Facts that bring the ice to life

Austfonna contains enough ice to cover the entire country of Cyprus in a layer roughly 200 meters thick—that's about 1,900 cubic kilometers of frozen water. If it all melted tomorrow (which it won't), global sea levels would rise by approximately five millimeters. 

The bedrock beneath much of the ice cap actually sits below sea level, which means portions of it rest on underwater mountains or essentially float on the ocean itself. The ice cap's dome reaches an elevation of around 783 meters at its highest point, and can be very chilly even during summer months. 

Meanwhile, the edges where it meets the sea remain relatively warmer, creating a complex thermal environment that influences how the ice moves and melts.

Scientists have drilled ice cores from Austfonna that contain air bubbles from thousands of years ago—tiny time capsules that preserve samples of the ancient atmosphere. These cores help researchers understand how Earth's climate has changed over millennia, making this remote ice cap a valuable archive of planetary history.