Eyjafjörður is a prime destination for whales, scientists, and tourists.
Most of the 109 fjords of Iceland are clustered in a small area in the east or around the large peninsula in the northwestern part of the island. There are just a handful of fjords along the northern coast. Among them is Eyjafjörður, Iceland’s longest fjord.
Eyjafjörður spans more than 60 kilometers (40 miles) from its mouth to Akureyri, a city known as Iceland’s “northern capital.” The Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8 acquired this image of the fjord on July 26, 2017.
Eyjafjörður has become a prime destination for whales, scientists, and tourists. Humpback, bottlenose, blue, and mink whales frequent the sheltered, nutrient-rich waters to feed on plankton. Scientists are drawn to study the unusual hydrothermal vents found in its shallow waters. And with an ice-free port and a surprisingly mild climate, Akureyri is typically visited by more than 100 cruise ships per year.
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Image via NASA Earth Observatory
