Recent history and future demise of Jostedalsbreen, the largest ice cap in mainland Europe

Åkesson, Henning; Sjursen, Kamilla Hauknes; Vikhamar Schuler, Thomas; Dunse, Thorben; Andreassen, Liss Marie; Kusk Gillespie, Mette; Robson, Benjamin Aubrey; Schellenberger, Thomas; Clement Yde, Jacob

doi:10.5194/tc-19-5871-2025

Articles | Volume 19, issue 11

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-5871-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Special issue:

Improving the contribution of the land cryosphere to sea level...

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-5871-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 19, issue 11

Research article

| Highlight paper

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18 Nov 2025

Research article | Highlight paper |

| 18 Nov 2025

Recent history and future demise of Jostedalsbreen, the largest ice cap in mainland Europe

Henning Åkesson, Kamilla Hauknes Sjursen, Thomas Vikhamar Schuler, Thorben Dunse, Liss Marie Andreassen, Mette Kusk Gillespie, Benjamin Aubrey Robson, Thomas Schellenberger, and Jacob Clement Yde

Data sets

Simulated future surface mass balance Kamilla Hauknes Sjursen https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17304935

Modelled future evolution of Jostedalsbreen ice cap, Norway H. Åkesson and K. H. Sjursen https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17472491

Jostedalsbreen ice-surface topography 1966 B. A. Robson et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17425322

Ice-surface velocity in 1996 of Jostedalsbreen ice cap, Norway from European Remote Sensing satellite (ERS-1/-2) T. Schellenberger and H. Åkesson https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17541329

Model code and software

Åkesson et al. 2025, supporting code and assets Henning Åkesson and Kamilla Hauknes Sjursen https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17304935

Video supplement

Supplementary videos Henning Åkesson https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17304935

Co-editor-in-chief

This study demonstrates that The Jostedalsbreen ice cap, which is the largest ice cap on the European mainland (458 km2 in 2019), is now in a mode of irreversable mass loss. The ice cap may lose up to 74% of its present-day volume until 2100, depending on future greenhouse gas emissions, which will have direct consequences for human and social interests.