Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle runs across the northern part of Grímsey from west to east.
The Arctic Circle runs across the northern part of Grímsey from west to east.
The Arctic Circles are lines of latitude that lie at 66.5° north and south. They mark the regions near the Earth's poles, where the sun can stay above the horizon or disappear for an entire day or more. This results in the Midnight Sun during summer (around June 21) and continuous darkness during winter (around December 21).
The position of the Arctic Circle is not fixed, with an annual average movement of about 14.5 meters. In many places, the Arctic Circle is marked at 66°33'N, and in Grímsey, the symbol "The Bridge and the Priest" is located at 66°33.3'N, just north of the Bása guesthouse near the airport. Another symbol, the new "Orbis et Globus" (2017), is found at the northern tip of the island at 66°33.916'N.
To accurately determine the location of the Arctic Circle, one must consider the angle the Earth's axis forms with its orbital plane. This angle gradually changes, either increasing or decreasing. The primary variation, called "precession," takes about 40,000 years to complete a cycle, with approximately 20,000 years between a minimum and maximum. Over the past five million years, the angle has varied between 65.5° and 68.0°. Currently, it increases by about 0.01° every century. Shorter fluctuations of the Arctic Circle are caused by "nutation," a phenomenon caused by the moon, with a period of 18.6 years and an amplitude of around 570 meters.
Although the Arctic Circle once touched the northernmost point of Iceland, it no longer does. Calculations show that the circle first crossed Grímsey in 1717 and remained on the island starting from 1750. It has since moved northward by about 1.5 kilometers per century. The circle is expected to move north of the island between 2031 and 2038 and will eventually leave it by 2047.
Coordinates of Grímsey:
- Northernmost point: 66°33.973'N
- Southernmost point: 66°31.574'N
The walk from the harbor to the Arctic Circle marker is about 3.7 km, and from the airport, it’s about 2.5 km. The hike will take approximately 3 hours (round trip).
More information about the location and nature of the Arctic Circle can be found here.