Barentsjøkulen is a
glacier
A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...
on
Barentsøya
Barentsøya, anglicized as Barents Island, is an Arctic island in the Svalbard archipelago of Norway, lying between Edgeøya and Spitsbergen. To the north, in the sound between Barentsøya and Spitsbergen, lies the island of Kükenthaløya. To the ...
,
Svalbard
Svalbard ( , ), previously known as Spitsbergen or Spitzbergen, is a Norway, Norwegian archipelago that lies at the convergence of the Arctic Ocean with the Atlantic Ocean. North of continental Europe, mainland Europe, it lies about midway be ...
. The glacier covers an area of about .
It is named after the
Barents Island, which again is named after Dutch explorer
Willem Barentsz
Willem Barentsz (; – 20 June 1597), anglicized as William Barents or Barentz, was a Dutch Republic, Dutch navigator, cartographer, and Arctic explorer.
Barentsz went on three expeditions to the far north in search for a Northern Sea Route, N ...
. Barents Island is on the Barents Sea.
The glacier has the four offshoots
Besselsbreen
Besselsbreen is a glacier on Barentsøya, Svalbard
Svalbard ( , ), previously known as Spitsbergen or Spitzbergen, is a Norway, Norwegian archipelago that lies at the convergence of the Arctic Ocean with the Atlantic Ocean. North of continen ...
,
Willybreen,
Freemanbreen and
Duckwitzbreen.
See also
*
List of glaciers in Svalbard
This is a list of glaciers in Svalbard. It includes glaciers and ice caps in Svalbard, Norway. List of glaciers and ice caps
Ice caps
*Austfonna
*Biscayarfonna
*Glitnefonna
*Lomonosovfonna
*Løvenskioldfonna
*Valhallfonna
*Vegafonna
*Vestfonna
...
References
Glaciers of Svalbard
Barentsøya
{{svalbard-glacier-stub