Glacier winds on Vatnajökull ice cap, Iceland, and their relation to temperatures of its lowland environs

During the ablation season, the ice cap Vatnajökull (8100 km 2 ) develops its own microclimate that we describe by meteorological data collected during the summers of 1994-2003. Persistent glacier winds are generated down the melting ice cap, whose variations in speed can be related empirically to the temperature fluctuations of the lowland environs of the ice cap. This suggests that climate warming would be accompanied by stronger glacier winds down the outlets of Vatnajökull, producing stronger turbulent fluxes that might amplify the melting rates in the lower ablation areas.