Bøyabreen is a steep outlet glacier in southern Jostedalsbreen, which has retreated out of Bøyadalen.
Bøyabreen descends Jostedalsbreen towards the south. Just under 1300 m above sea level, the glacier transforms into a steep icefall that reaches down to 600 m. Some ice breaks (broke) loose from the front and falls another 400 m down, where it accumulates into a regenerated glacier in Bøyadalen valley.
These days, the regenerated glacier at the foot of the rock face is a comparatively small patch of ice and (mainly) snow. Hundreds of meters of bare rock separate it from the icefall, making it hard to imagine that both parts made contact as recently as the 1990’s. Back then, increased snowfall (see Briksdalsbre Event) made glaciers grow throughout Norway. Bøyabreen advanced into lake Brevatnet again.
Bøyabreen’s marked advance coincided with the opening up of Bøyadalen. Until 1988, the area was only accessible by boat via Fjærlandfjorden or on foot via remote cols. This changed when the 6.4 km long Fjærland Tunnel to the north was completed in 1988, followed by the Frudal Tunnel to the south six years later (length: 6.8 km). From one day to the other, Bøyadalen transformed from a remote valley to a vital link between West and East Norway, connected by route E5.
Because of the new tunnels and glaciers close by, Bøyadalen was considered the perfect location for a glacier museum. So the Norwegian Glacier Museum opened here in 1991, coincidentally at a time when the glacier was advancing! Located 8 km from the glacier along route E5, the eye-catching museum, designed by Sverre Fehn, reflects the surrounding mountains in material and shape (wikiarquitectura.com). Inside, you can learn about climate change and glacier dynamics. Real glacier ice from Supphellebreen is used in the interactive exhibition. The museum also tells about a plane crash on Bøyabreen in 1972. Retrieved parts of the plane are on display, their twisted appearance illustrating the huge forces inside a glacier.
Tourism increased after the opening up of Bøyadalen, but that’s not to say the area didn’t see tourists before. In fact, Bøyabreen was considered one of the more easily accessible glaciers around 1900. Together with nearby Supphellebreen, the glacier was frequently visited by upper-class tourists traveling by cruise ship that moored at nearby Fjærland (Mundal). According to an information panel at the glacier, up to a thousand people a day would disembark here in the early 20th century.
When those early-day tourists saw the glacier, it was much larger than at present. Moraines tell us how much longer exactly. In the middle of the 18th century the glacier reached a maximum and came almost up to Bøyafjellstølen, a hamlet 2 km down-valley. Side note: an even further moraine was previously also linked to the 18th century, but later turned out to date from the Erdalen Event, some 10.000 years before (Rune AA & Sjåstad, 2000)!
Bøyabreen in ca. 1930 and 2024. Source 1930: Atelier K. Knudsen, University of Bergen Library ubb-kk-pk-2884.
By the time the first travelers (and scientists, see for example Sexe, 1869) discovered Bøyabreen in the middle of the 19th century, the glacier had only retreated a few hundred meters. Though the glacier generally retreated over the next century, it had intermediate readvances culminating in 1872, 1888, 1909 and 1930 (Nussbaumer et al., 2011). It wasn’t until the 1930’s that lake Brevatnet started to appear from underneath the glacier and the glacier split ten years later.
In the period 1950-1980 Bøyabreen stayed more or less the same, having a regenerated lower part that didn’t quite make it to the lake. Then it advanced and both parts merged again in the 1990’s, as described above. The glacier advanced well into the lake and developed a calving front, which produced small icebergs.
Since the millennium shift, Bøyabreen is in decay. Its thinning and retreating icefall is no longer able to feed the regenerated glacier. So far, snow avalanches have kept it alive, but it’s not worthy of the name glacier anymore. Nonetheless, the glacier remains visited by many, thanks to the adjacent E5, car park and restaurant.
Though the lower section of Bøyabreen is diminishing, its upper realms continue to provide an impressive icy scenery. To see it, experienced hikers may climb Kvannholtnipa (1640 m), a mountain that stands directly east of the glacier. It can be reached via Flatbrehytta (note: no path from there). The top offers a splendid overview of southern Jostedalsbreen, including Bøyabreen.
Bøyabreen in 1900-1907 and 2024. Source 1900: Ralph L. Wilson, University of Bergen Library ubb-wil-m-096.
Search within glacierchange:
