Climate of Scandinavia
- Despite the fact that Scandinavia is located at a high latitude (same as that as northern Canada) the climate (especially along the coast regions) remains relatively mild due to the warming influence of the gulf stream current in the Atlantic which moves warm water and air from the Caribbean tropics toward western Europe.
- The Fjords of Norway for example retain a milder climate than much of the surrounding Scandinavian mountains which are often snow covered and contain glaciers due to the warm water current. Iceland (despite it's name) has a milder climate despite its high latitude which is again influenced by the warming effect of the Gulf Stream.
The Gulf Stream warm water current
- The coldest regions of Scandinavia are in the high Scandinavian mountain range, far inland areas, and the portions of Norway, Sweden, and Finland that are above the Arctic Circle (66.5 degrees North).
- Areas above the arctic circle experience 24 hours of sunlight in the Summer (midnight sun) and 24 hour darkness in the winter.
CLIMATE GRAPH: SCANDINAVIA
Source: http://en.climate-data.org/
Geologic History of Scandinavia
- The Scandinavian Mountains are largely composed of very old rock formed some 400 million years ago when the Caledonian mountain range was thrust up. The enormous mountains created at this time were much higher than anything today but were completely leveled over e 100 million years into flat plains.
- This plateau remained from about 300 million years ago to 50 million years ago when there was more movement and the west side of the Scandinavian plate was heaved up just off the coast of Norway, while the east side of Sweden remained lower. The whole plate was therefore at an angle, with the west side much higher than the east and all the rivers consequently flowing east.
- This higher west side runs the whole length of Scandinavian. In the south it runs up the west side of Norway, and in the north it runs up the mountainous border between the Norway and Sweden. This chain is also referred to as Kjølen, The Keel, because it looks like the keel of an upturned boat.
- All the Scandinavian Mountains over 2000 metres are found along this Keel, although some like Rondane are on the very edge of it. Where the Kjølen it as its most mighty is Jotunheimen and this is the highest and grandest of all mountain ranges in Scandinavia, and arguably the most spectacular.
Ice Ages
- Since this tilting of the plate some 50 million years ago there have been numerous ice ages which have eroded it, particularly the western higher side. In the last 2.5 million years it is estimated there have been some 40 different ice ages alone. These ice ages have been the main shapers of the landscape we see today as the glaciers which came and went scraped away corries and valleys, often leaving the higher peaks protruding through the ice.
- The last of these ice ages was from 50,000 years ago to 10,000 years ago, and this pretty much obliterated all evidence from the previous ice ages. There have been some minor ice ages since then, and even as recently as the mid 18th century there was a mini ice age when glaciers surged forward again, enveloping farms and fields. The scars from this age are still visible, as lichens are still recolonizing the recently exposed surfaces.
Source: http://www.scandinavianmountains.com/intro/geography.htm
Iceland
