A letter from the editor

Working in media, you spend a lot of time gathering information on the way society works. I read the news, do research, and spend my days talking to people about their lives and their work. It’s a strange type of work sometimes but one that continues to be fascinating, uplifting, enraging, and engaging, usually all at once. Looking from the outside in makes you, if not a jack of all trades, at least someone who could correct the jack from a distance, but definitely master of none. And in forcing you to consider all sides of an issue, also hones your ability to see different perspectives.

Take the city bus. It’s a common cause for complaints. And as a bus user myself, I’ve wondered about how the service seems to have taken a turn for the worse in recent years. The research process for our piece was frustrating for a journalist who kept realising new ways the public transport system was deprived of necessary funds. Then there’s our dive into tech solutions to gender imbalances in the business world, an unpleasant reminder of all the hurdles that remain in the way of women in the workplace, and all the work women are taking on to correct the situation. On the other hand, we found excitement along the way in new plans for intercity transportation, and the ingenious ways startups are coming up with to balance the scales.

In this issue, we explore how rye flatbread, a beloved classic, was born out of Iceland’s history of food scarcity. We run with Icelanders practising the decidedly foreign sport of American football, and dance to the joyous music of Unnsteinn Manuel, the lyrics of which detail his anxiety and creative block. We find time in our busy schedules to experience the serenity of floating and talk with Person of the Year Halli, Iceland’s benevolent tax king, while lamenting the world’s steadfast faith in altruistic millionaires.

In the end, the ability to appreciate the beauty of contrasts-and marvel at the impossible but constant coexistence of extreme opposites-is what allows us to find joy in a world that’s constantly changing. It’s what gives us the power to look modern-day horrors straight in the eye and not let it break us but instead, strengthen our resolve to make this flawed world a little be tter through the power of our own existence.

Efling Union members are preparing to strike after chairperson Sólveig Anna Jónsdóttir broke off negotiations with the Confederation of Icelandic Enterprise (SA). Efling has demanded higher wages to keep pace with the rising cost of living and the effects of inflation. While most of the other large trade unions, such as VR and SGS, have agreed to short-term contracts with SA, Efling continues to hold out. The Central Bank of Iceland and the SA warned Icelandic labourers and unions in 2022 that a rise in wages would only exacerbate the country’s inflation problem, while critics like Sólveig argue that workers’ productivity has surpassed their wages since the 2008 economic collapse. Without an agreement, Efling, one of the largest trade unions, is threatening to strike as of the time of writing.

02

Tourists may expect Iceland to be cold, but its residents have been surprised by the unusually low temperatures this winter. According to the Icelandic Met Office, December 2022 was the coldest December in Iceland in 50 years. The average temperature around the country sat at -4°C [24.8°F]. The last time the capital of Reykjavík reached these low temperatures was 1916. The cold weather persisted into January, as Þingvellir reached -22°C [-7.6°F]. While in the capital, these conditions ae merely uncomfortable, in the countryside, they can pose a real threat to travellers as they create conditions for avalanches in the mountains.

03 2023 Handball Championship

In January, Icelanders cheered on the men’s national handball team at the 2023 IHF World Men’s Handball Championship. The national team started strong, beating Portugal in the opening match. As of the time of writing, they have lost against Hungary and Sweden but won South Korea, Cape Verde, and Brazil. Residents all over the country have been watching with keen interest. Even a power outage on the Reykjanes peninsula could not stop the fans. The Search and Rescue Team in Grindavík hosted 30 local residents for the match against South Korea, who were able to enjoy the game thanks to the backup generator.

04 Pollution

Two weeks into 2023, pollution in the capital area exceeded the health-protection limit 19 times. According to the regulations of the Ministry of the Environment, the limit for the entire year is 18 times – meaning Reykjavík surpassed the number in less than one month. With very little wind and an increase in traffic, the nitrogen dioxide from the exhaust of vehicles hovers over the city. Studies have shown that diesel engines contribute significantly to this pollution, leading some critics to blame public bus service Strætó, which operates mostly diesel buses. Minister of the Environment Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson singled out the bus company, complaining that very few of the fleet of about 160 buses were electric. Strætó pushed back, claiming their buses met industry and environmental standards. Strætó hopes to be fully electric by 2030.

Q1 Can you see Greenland from Iceland?

A common myth you hear sometimes is that on a clear day, from some places in West Iceland, you can see parts of Greenland. This is often attributed to the “lensing” effect of cold air in the polar regions, in which cold air masses can act as a lens and carry light further than usual, over the curvature of the earth.

As great a story as this is, it’s unfortunately not true.

The narrative may have very old origins, going back to the Saga of the Greenlanders. In that story, the settler and outcast Erik the Red is said to set out in search of the land seen by one Gunnbjörn when he went west and discovered “Gunnbjarnarsker.” This skerry, an islet or outcropping of rock in the ocean, was presumably much closer to Greenland than the west coast of Iceland, so it may well have been possible to see Greenland’s mountains from there.

Q2 Why is the sand black in Iceland?

Black sand beaches have become one of the images most closely associated with Iceland, and for good reason.

You may already know that the answer has to do with volcanic activity. Iceland, after all, is not the only place in the world with such beaches. Hawaii has several notable black sand beaches, for instance, including Punalu'u and Kehena beaches.

The distinctive black sand shared by these volcanic islands comes from the basalt fragments that accompany a volcanic eruption. Basalt is by far the most common volcanic rock, accounting for about 90% of all volcanic rock on earth. Basalt tends to be dark grey or black in colour because of its mineral composition, which includes high levels of augite and other pyroxene minerals, which tend to be darkly coloured.

But not so on Iceland’s mainland. The matter has also been laid to rest authoritatively by Icelandic physicist Þorvaldur Búason. According to Þorvaldur, a 500m [1,640ft] tall hill at a distance of 500km [310mi] appears to us as about the size of a ballpoint pen held at arm’s length. Using some geometry, we can tell that Gunnbjarnarfjall, the tallest mountain in East Greenland, would be invisible to the naked eye from the closest point in Iceland’s Westfjords.

It’s also worth noting that given Iceland’s position relative to Greenland, Greenland stretches further North, South, East, and West than Iceland!

When a lava flow reaches the ocean and comes into contact with water, it cools very quickly and shatters, just like how dishes sometimes shatter in the kitchen if run under cold water directly after heating.

This shattering creates a large amount of fine-grained debris, which is eroded into sand over time.

In many parts of the world, black sand beaches can be formed as a single event and then fade away after the lava flow. But because Iceland is still very volcanically active, the black sand is replenished often, and nearly all of Iceland’s beaches have this distinctive colour.

There are, however, a couple exceptions. Rauðisandur, for example, is a well-known beach in the Westfjords famous for its rustyred colour.