The Alarming Disappearance of Iceland’s Okjökull Glacier
Satellite images spanning over three decades have captured the heartbreaking disappearance of Okjökull, the first Icelandic glacier officially declared dead due to human-caused climate change. The drastic loss of ice, showcased in before-and-after images, serves as a stark warning of the ongoing climate crisis and its devastating impact on the planet.
A Glacier Lost to Climate Change
Located on the summit of Ok, a 3,940-foot-tall (1,200 meters) shield volcano, Okjökull was once a vast dome-shaped glacier in Iceland’s rugged landscape. In 1901, it covered around 15 square miles (39 square kilometers), but its rapid decline over the 20th century marked a significant environmental catastrophe.
By 1986, NASA’s Earth Observatory captured satellite imagery showing that Okjökull’s ice had shrunk to less than 1 square mile (2.6 square kilometers). By 2019, the second satellite image revealed a chilling reality—the glacier had been reduced to a mere 0.4 square miles (1 square kilometer), confirming its complete loss.
The Official Death of Okjökull
In 2014, Icelandic glaciologists officially declared Okjökull dead, noting that its ice had become too thin to move—a crucial sign that it had ceased functioning as a glacier. This marked the first recorded instance of a glacier being formally recognized as lost due to human-driven global warming.
A 2018 short film titled “Not Ok”, created by researchers at Rice University, documented the glacier’s tragic demise. One year later, in August 2019, a funeral was held for Okjökull, attended by scientists, politicians, and concerned citizens.
At the summit of Ok, a plaque titled “A Letter to the Future” was placed in memory of the lost glacier. The inscription read:
“Ok is the first Icelandic glacier to lose its status as a glacier. In the next 200 years, all our glaciers are expected to follow the same path. This monument is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it.”
Rising CO2 Levels and the Future of Glaciers
When the plaque was installed in 2019, the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in Earth’s atmosphere had reached 415 parts per million (ppm). By March 2025, this level had surged past 428 ppm, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)—a clear sign that global warming is accelerating at an alarming rate.
In 2023, Iceland took another dramatic step by establishing the world’s first iceberg graveyard. This unique memorial features ice-like headstones for 15 major glaciers on the Global Glacier Casualty List, all of which are either dead or critically endangered, as reported by the United Nations.
One notable addition to this list is the Anderson Glacier in Washington state, USA, which in 2015 became the first U.S. glacier to be officially declared dead.
How Many Glaciers Have We Lost?
Despite inconsistent monitoring and scientific debates over what qualifies as a glacier, experts estimate that up to 10,000 glaciers have already disappeared due to climate change, according to a 2024 report by The Washington Post.
A Call to Action for the Future
The tragic fate of Okjökull is a warning to the world. Scientists predict that all of Iceland’s glaciers could vanish within the next 200 years if global temperatures continue to rise at their current rate. The loss of glaciers not only raises sea levels but also disrupts ecosystems, water supplies, and weather patterns worldwide.
With greenhouse gas emissions at record highs, the world faces a critical turning point. The question remains: Will we act in time to prevent further climate disasters, or will Okjökull be just the first of many memorials to our planet’s disappearing ice?
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