A recent analysis by Lantmäteriet, Sweden’s national mapping agency, reveals a concerning acceleration in the melting of Sweden’s glaciers. Satellite and aerial imagery collected since 2020 indicate that at least four glaciers and an estimated four square kilometers of glacial ice have disappeared in just the last four years.
Lantmäteriet’s current project involves mapping Sweden’s 280 glaciers, stretching from Helags in Härjedalen and Sylarna in southern Jämtland to the high alpine regions of Norrbotten. Using advanced satellite and aerial technology, the agency has nearly completed the project, yet the extent of glacial retreat is already evident.
According to Björn Olander, Geodata Manager at Lantmäteriet, Sweden’s glacier area has shrunk from 220 to 216 square kilometres since 2020. This loss underscores the rapid pace of climate-induced change impacting the country’s landscape.
The broader impact is stark: since 2008, 18 square kilometers of glacier ice have vanished – a loss equivalent to 2,500 football fields. Salajiekna, Sweden’s largest glacier, now covers just over nine square kilometres, roughly 1,300 football fields in size. Mårmaglaciären, located north of Kebnekaise, holds the country’s greatest measured ice thickness, reaching up to 270 metres.
This analysis underscores the urgent need for climate awareness as Sweden’s glaciers, essential markers of the natural environment, continue to retreat at an unprecedented pace.
