Grímsey

Grímsey (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈkrimsˌeiː] ⓘ) is a small Icelandic island, 40 kilometres (20 nautical miles) off the north coast of the main island of Iceland, where it straddles the Arctic Circle.[1] Grímsey is also known for the puffins and other sea birds which visit the island for breeding.

For other places with similar names, see Grimsay (disambiguation).
Grímsey
Island
Location of the Municipality of Akureyri
Location of the Municipality of Akureyri
The island Grímsey
The island Grímsey
Grímsey is located in Iceland
Grímsey
Grímsey
Location of the island Grímsey
Coordinates: 66°33′N 18°00′W
CountryIceland
ConstituencyNortheast Constituency
RegionNortheastern Region
MunicipalityAkureyri
Area
 • Total5.3 km2 (2.0 sq mi)
 • Land5.3 km2 (2.0 sq mi)
Elevation
105 m (344 ft)
Population
 (2018)
 • Total61
Time zoneWET
WebsiteOfficial website

The island is legally part of the municipality of Akureyri on the mainland;[2] before 2009 it constituted the rural municipality of Grímseyjarhreppur [ˈkrimsˌeiːjar̥ˌr̥ɛhpʏr̥]. The island's only settlement is Sandvík[3] [ˈsantˌviːk]. In 2021 Grímsey had 57 inhabitants. The island is accessible by regular ferry and air passenger service.

Geography

Grímsey is the northernmost inhabited Icelandic territory; the rapidly disappearing islet of Kolbeinsey lies some 60 km (30 nmi) farther north, but has never been habitable. The closest land is the coastal island of Flatey, Skjálfandi, 39.4 km (21.3 nmi) to the south.

There are steep cliffs all along the coastline except on the southwestern shore. Grímsey has an area of 5.3 square kilometres (2.0 sq mi), and a maximum elevation of 105 metres (344 ft).[4]

Arctic Circle

The Arctic Circle runs through the island, which attracts many of the island's visitors, as it is the only accessible location in Iceland that far north. However, due to long-term oscillations in the Earth's axis, the Arctic Circle is shifting northward by about 14.5 metres (48 ft) per year (varying substantially from year to year due to the complexity of the movement). As of 2020, the place where the line crosses the island is close to the northern tip and by the middle of the 21st century it will pass north of Grimsey altogether.

There are three permanent markers for historical positions of the Arctic Circle, placed in 1717, 1817, and 1917.[5] In 2017, a movable monument – an eight-tonne stone sphere dubbed "Orbis et Globus" – was placed on the circle, and is periodically moved to the corrected location.[6][7] The Arctic Circle has crossed Grímsey since 1750, but will move northward from the island around the year 2047.[8]

Climate

Despite the northerly latitude, the climate is generally mild because of the North Atlantic Current, which brings warm water from the Gulf of Mexico. The maximum daily mean temperature in any month falls short of 10 °C, so it is within a tundra (ET) climate. The record high temperature of Brú is 22.2 °C (72.0 °F) registered on July 25, 1955.[9]

Climate data for Grímsey (1981-2010 normals)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 10.6
(51.1)		 11.0
(51.8)		 13.0
(55.4)		 15.7
(60.3)		 18.4
(65.1)		 18.9
(66.0)		 22.2
(72.0)		 19.3
(66.7)		 20.8
(69.4)		 14.3
(57.7)		 12.8
(55.0)		 18.0
(64.4)		 19.3
(66.7)
Average high °C (°F) 2.1
(35.8)		 1.2
(34.2)		 1.2
(34.2)		 2.4
(36.3)		 6.0
(42.8)		 8.8
(47.8)		 10.8
(51.4)		 11.0
(51.8)		 8.6
(47.5)		 5.1
(41.2)		 3.5
(38.3)		 2.6
(36.7)		 5.3
(41.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) 0.0
(32.0)		 −1.0
(30.2)		 −0.9
(30.4)		 0.5
(32.9)		 3.8
(38.8)		 6.5
(43.7)		 8.6
(47.5)		 8.9
(48.0)		 6.6
(43.9)		 3.3
(37.9)		 1.6
(34.9)		 0.4
(32.7)		 3.2
(37.7)
Average low °C (°F) −2.1
(28.2)		 −3.2
(26.2)		 −2.9
(26.8)		 −1.4
(29.5)		 1.5
(34.7)		 4.2
(39.6)		 6.4
(43.5)		 6.7
(44.1)		 4.5
(40.1)		 1.5
(34.7)		 −0.3
(31.5)		 −1.8
(28.8)		 1.1
(34.0)
Record low °C (°F) −15.6
(3.9)		 −14.6
(5.7)		 −17.2
(1.0)		 −15.0
(5.0)		 −8.9
(16.0)		 −2.8
(27.0)		 0.7
(33.3)		 −3.9
(25.0)		 −3.1
(26.4)		 −6.8
(19.8)		 −12.2
(10.0)		 −12.3
(9.9)		 −17.2
(1.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 26.5
(1.04)		 41.5
(1.63)		 31.3
(1.23)		 23.8
(0.94)		 11.4
(0.45)		 10.0
(0.39)		 27.8
(1.09)		 31.5
(1.24)		 35.8
(1.41)		 30.3
(1.19)		 28.9
(1.14)		 24.5
(0.96)		 323.3
(12.71)
Average precipitation days 18.0 24.0 17.3 20.8 11.7 10.5 15.7 14.7 20.0 22.0 21.0 20.0 215.7
Source: Météo Climat (averages)[10][9]

Biology

Though treeless, the island's vegetation cover is rich, consisting of marshland, grass, and moss, and the island is home to many birds, especially auks.[11][12] Gulls and arctic terns also inhabit the island.[13] The island has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports large seabird breeding colonies of black-legged kittiwakes, Atlantic puffins, razorbills and common murres.[14]

Economy and society

The principal industrial activity is commercial fishing. Agriculture and collecting seabird eggs are also common.[12] Grímsey Airport has a 1,036m north–south runway on the west side of the island, with regular flights to Akureyri.[3] A ferry connects the island three days a week with Dalvík on the mainland.[15]

The single settlement on the southwest side of the island is officially known as Sandvík. It has a community center, a shop, a library, a public indoor swimming pool, and a school from kindergarten to grade 8. (Beyond this age, students travel to Akureyri for further education.) Grímsey has two small hotels, a camp ground, and a nine-hole disc golf course.

The island has acquired a reputation for being a bastion of chess-playing.[16] On learning this in the 1870s, American scholar and keen chess player Willard Fiske took an interest in Grímsey, sending supplies, supporting the economy, and leaving money in his will, though he never visited the island.[17]

The Protestant Church on Grímsey was destroyed by a fire in September 2021.[18][19] It had been built from driftwood in 1867 and renovated in 1956.[20] A choir and tower were added in 1932. The nave was roughly 7.7 metres in length and 4.75 metres broad.[21]

Grímsey coastline
  • Older Monument to Arctic Circle on Grímsey
    Older Monument to Arctic Circle on Grímsey
  • Grímsey, Harbour
    Grímsey, Harbour
  • Main Street
    Main Street
  • Grímsey Church in June 2008
    Grímsey Church in June 2008
  • Grímsey Church and cemetery
    Grímsey Church and cemetery
  • Grímsey Church, interior
    Grímsey Church, interior

See also

References
  1. STATISTICS ICELAND: Population by locality, age and sex 1 January 2011–2018, Px.hagstofa.is, accessed 18 January 2019
  2. "Grímsey og Akureyri sameinast"., Morgunblaðið 26 April 2009 (in Icelandic)
  3. Swaney, Deanna (1997). Iceland, Greenland & the Faroe Islands (3rd ed.). Lonely Planet. pp. 251–252. ISBN 0-86442-453-1.
  4. "Um Grímsey". Grímseyjarhreppur. Retrieved 28 October 2008. (in Icelandic)
  5. "Arctic Circle Marker". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  6. "The Giant Moving Orb That Marks the Arctic Circle". Atlas Obscura. 20 Oct 2017. Retrieved 27 Apr 2023.
  7. "Eight-Tonne Sphere Marks Arctic Circle on Grímsey". Iceland Review. 26 September 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  8. Akureyrarkaupstaður. "The Arctic Circle". Grímsey Island. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  9. "Météo climat stats for Grímsey (records)". Météo Climat. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  10. "Météo climat stats for Islande". Météo Climat. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  11. Riley, Laura & William (2005). Nature's Strongholds: The World's Great Wildlife Reserves. Princeton University Press. p. 384. ISBN 978-0-691-12219-9.
  12. "Important Bird Areas/Grimsey". BirdLife International. 2015. accessed 1 Marcy 2015.
  13. John Schwartz, Why Are Puffins Vanishing? The Hunt for Clues Goes Deep (Into Their Burrows), New York Times (29 August 2018).
  14. "Grímsey, Eyjafirdi". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  15. "Grímsey · Iceland". Google.com. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  16. Tomasson, Richard F. (1980). Iceland, the First New Society. University of Minnesota Press. p. 50. ISBN 978-0-8166-0913-0. Grimsey chess.
  17. Millman, Lawrence; Theroux, Paul (2001). Last Places: A Journey in the North. Houghton Mifflin Books. pp. 109–110. ISBN 978-0-618-08248-3.
  18. Ísleifsson, Atli (2021-09-22). "Bruninn í Grímsey: „Maður er bara hálfdofinn" - Vísir". visir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2023-05-14.
  19. "Grímsey church destroyed by fire". Ruv.is. 22 September 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  20. "Um Grímsey - Grímsey". Wayback.vefsafn.is. Archived from the original on 2 May 2007. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  21. "Miðgarðakirkja". Archived from the original on 2017-04-16. Retrieved 2021-03-27.

Sources
  • Places along the way...Grímsey, published by Bókaútgafan að Hofi

Further reading
  • Jack, Robert, Arctic Living: the Story of Grimsey, [with] foreword by Vilhjalmur Stefansson, Toronto, Ont.: Ryerson Press, 1955.
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