Photo: Ólafur Sigurjónsson from vedur.is

While the world has heard a lot about the impact of the Icelandic volcano on air traffic and

the economy, what about its impact on Iceland's reindeer?

In the last few weeks, the world could hardly have failed to have heard about the Icelandic

volcano with the difficult to pronounce (for non Icelandic speakers) name. Air traffic has

been disrupted across Europe and airlines have lost over a billion dollars in lost revenue.

The impact on the regions climate is unclear but has been the topic of much speculation.

Latest information received from the Icelandic Meteorological Office indicates that the

explosive activity from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano is continuing, with the ash plume

reaching heights of up to around 18,000 ft. The Icelandic Met Office state that there are no

signs that the eruption is about to end, with the volcanic eruption remaining dynamic.

Winds are expected to blow from a mainly north or north easterly direction over the next few

days, with most of the ash cloud likely to stay over the Atlantic Ocean and close to western

parts of the British Isles. As a result the UK National Air Traffic Services continues to advise aircraft about airspace

restrictions affecting transatlantic flights, allowing them to cross the Atlantic safely.

Recent weather patterns mean that the ash cloud has drifted across some parts of central and

southern Europe, leading to disruption.

Icelandic farmers in the immediate vicinity of the eruption have lost their livelihoods for

perhaps many years. However, the world has not heard a lot about the fate of Icelands

reindeer.

Reindeer husbandry is not practiced in Iceland. The Icelandic population today derives from

35 animals that were set ashore in the north east of Iceland in 1787. The reindeer were from

Finnmark, to four different areas in Iceland in the late 18th century but three of the herds

had disappeared or died out before 1930. The Norwegian animals were of semi-domesticated

origin but have always been feral in Iceland. The present day population is confined to East

Iceland. The population is increasing although 20-25% of the total summer population is

hunted annually. The estimated winter population in 2008-2009 is 5200 animals and expected

to be around 6500 in autumn 2009.

The Reindeer Portal contacted the national expert on reindeer in Iceland, Skarphéðinn G.

Þórisson of the Náttúrustofa Austurlands (East Iceland Natural History Institute), in

Egilsstadir. Þórisson has been working and researching reindeer in Iceland since 1978.

Þórisson is reponsible for herd monitoring and population estimates. According to Þórisson,

"Ash has not fallen on the reindeer pastures and the predominately south westerly winds have

protected the pastures. In fact there is hardly any ash falling on Eastern Iceland...If we

would have a major ash fall in the reindeer pastures I think there are mainly two things we

have to worry about. Firstly the content of fluor in the ash and secondly the
thickness of the ash layer."

Þórisson pointed out that in the historical context, this is not a large eruption,

"In 1875, there was a much larger eruption - a large explosion in the interior. Then there

was a lot of ash - as much as 10-20 cms fell on the country and reindeer pastures. That

explosion forced a large out migration of Icelanders to North America. Then there was no

lava,and strong westerly winds, yet I have not been able to find out about any impact on the

reindeer from that time. The ash particles coming from the eruption in Eyjafjallajökull
now is most likely much smaller (down to 10 micrometers) than in the eruption 1875"

Photos by Ólafur Sigurjónsson

Þórisson has inspected parts of the reindeer pastures (some ca. 15,000 kms2) and has seen no

evidence of ash falling on the pastures, nor when using a white trapping surface has he seen

much evidence of ash fallout.

 

One thing that has certainly changed is the winter temperature trends over the last 10-15

years and there has been a noticeable lack of hard winters. This has certainly been

beneficial for the reindeer in terms of survival and body weight. I t has also reduced the

movement of animals. The population is increasing although 20-25% of the total summer

population is hunted annually. The estimated winter population in 2008-2009 is 5200 animals

and expected to be around 6500 in autumn 2009. Current prices of a hunting card for an adult

male is ca. 120,000 ISK (740EURO/ 930USD) and 60,000 ISK for an adult female