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2/ The sketches thus obtained have been reduced to 
such a degree as to get the best possible agreement be- 
tween the plotted hydrology and that extracted from the 
topographical sheets at a scale of 1:200000. Because 
of the poor quality of the maps available all attempts 
to fit the glaciers into the map topography have failed- 
which, however, is of little importance to the present 
problem. 
There are several difficulties connected with the 
preparation of a glacier map from aerial photographs 
and they all add to the inaccuracy of the final results: 
a. It is not always quite obvious if a specific ac- 
cumulation of snow and ice should be classified as a 
glacier or a perennial snow-field. If a clear banded 
ice structure has been detected or if the snow and ice 
field is partly surrounded by terminal or lateral 
| moraines, it has been classified as a glacier. This 
| means that several of the smallest glaciers on the map 
| are probably nothing but patches of dead-ice. Sometimes 
| perennial snow-fields may have been mistaken for dead 
glaciers, sometimes dead glaciers, or even active ones, 
may have been mistaken for perennial snow-fields and 
thus not entered on the map. In spite of this, the 
number of glaciers and their distribution should be 
substantially correct. 
b. Since the verticals have not been rectified and 
since the existing maps are of a varying quality both 
the actual position and the shape of the glaciers may 
| not be quite true as portrayed on the map. This in- 
| accuracy should, however, not be too serious at the 
Scale used here, 1:500000. 
c. All area measurements have been made on un-rectified 
photographs &t a scale of &bout 1:65000. Through com- 
parisons with existing maps a correction has always been 
applied to the approximate scale, but it has very seldom 
been possible to adjust for differences in altitude with- 
in the picture. We do not believe, however, that the 
relative error is great as long as the glacier-covered 
area of & whole massif is considered. 
The map shows the 218 glaciers found between 67° N 
| and 689 4N on the following topographical sheets: 
3 Abiski, 7 Akka, 8 Kebnekajse, 12 Sulitelma and 
13 Stora SJofallet. Besides these there are three in 
the northernmost corner of the country and another two 
northeast of Riksgrünsen, one is found on Staika 
(66959^N, 17905'E), two in the Arjeplog mountains, one 
just west of Ikesjaure (66951^N, 16900'E), five in the 
massif Norra Storfjället (65955°N, 15°15‘E), one on 
| the nearby Ammarf jället, three in Sylarna (63001’N, 
| 12905'E), and one on Helagsfjàllet (62055/N, 12030‘E). 
According to the present inventory Sweden thus has 23T 
glaciers covering & total areal’ of 310 km?. 
Regional Distribution. 
As indicated in the previous paragraph, 220 out of 
the 237 identified glaciers are found in the mountains 
north of the 67th parallel, and south of 68°25‘N. 
Their distribution according to topographic sheets 
is as follows: 
Number of Total Glacier 
Sheet Glaciers Area in 
3 Abisko 52 La 
7 Akka 16 10 
8 Kebneka jse 53 48 
12 Sulitelma 38 82 
13 Stora Sjöfallet 61 121 
Total 220 303 
Certain mountain areas stand out as important glacier 
centres. In Sulitelma, i.e. the area along the border 
between the lakes Virihaure and Peskehaure, we have 2 
smaller and 3 large glaciers: Stuorrajekna, Sala jekna 
and Â1mallo jekna . According to Westman's photogram- 
metric map of 1898 Stuorrajekna covered 14.7 km, the 
Swedish part of Salajekna was 15,9 and Almallojekna 
22 km’. The present study gave for Stuorra jekna 
12.0 km?, Salajekna 13.4 t Almallojekna 10.8 km? 
(12.9 km@ with the Norwegian part included). The glacier 
covered area amounts to 38 kmê. 
The most glacierized area of Sweden is found in the 
Sarek national park. If the Sarek mountains in a wider 
be defined as the area from 67°08°N (south side of 
PÉrtetjÉkko to 67936/N (northern slopes of Akka) and 
from 17915^E to 18900^E this high mountain district in- 
cludes 100 glaciers with & total area of 171 km®. 
Judged from the air photographs the largest glaciers of 
Sweden can be found on either side of the valley 
Sarvesvagge (61915'N). On the south side the PÉrte 
glacier seems to hold the record for the whole country 
with its 14.1 and on the north side we find the 
Jokot jkaska glacier, 13.7 km2, and the South Älkatj 
glacier, 8.3 km. Our figure for the Mikka glacier, 
the best known glacier in Sarek, is 8.0 kmé. 
The Kebneka jse mountains at about 67955'/N, 16930*E 
offer another large concentration of glaciers. The 
inner Kebnekajse", delimited by the valleys Ladtjovagge, 
Vistasvagge, Kaskasavagge and T jakt javagge, has 17 
glaciers covering an area of 10.6 km?2, while the 
Kebneka jse Mountains as they are often defined by the 
triangle between Ladtjovagge, Vistasvagge and 
Tj&ktjavagge (continued in Allesvagge) contains ll 
glaciers with a total area of l1.3 km?. 
Further to the north large glaciers are found in the 
MÉrmantjÉkko, where the largest one is h.3 , around 
the Kätotjäkko (largest 2.9 km?) and the northernmost 
glacier of any size is the KÉrsa glacier at the head of 
KÁrsavagge, near the lake Tornetrásk. 
Size Distribution. 
Several of the glaciers listed above are very small 
&nd some would definitely be classified as patches of 
dead ice if & detailed field reconnaissance could have 
been carried out. This is, however, not so serious 
Since these patches, especially if delimited by terminal 
moraines, represent real glaciers, even though dead at 
the present time. It is more serious if large perennial 
snow-fields have been mistaken for glaciers. The prob- 
ability of such mistakes decreases with increasing area 
and should have its maximum in the category O 0, 5 km? 
The size distribution of all Swedish glaciers is as 
follows: 
Area in km? Number of Glaciers Percentage 
0.15 14 
0.15-0.50 92 39 
0.5-1.0 58 24 
1.0-2.0 34 14 
2.0-4.0 23 10 
4.0-10.0 11 5 
10.0 5 2 
L5 per cent of the number of glaciers are thus less 
than 0.5 km? (18 per cent are 0.2 or less) and an 
absolute error of + 10 in the total number of glaciers!) 
is probably a fair estimate. The area of all glaciers 
smaller than 0.5 km? does not amount to more than 
28 kmê, i.e. 9 per cent of the total ice-covered area. 
On the other hand, the 39 glaciers larger than 2.0 km? 
cover 196 kmê, i.e. 17 per cent of the number of glaciers 
correspond to 63 per cent of the glacierized area. 
Orientation. 
It is a known fact that a great majority of Swedish 
glaciers are situated on the eastern and northeastern 
slopes of the mountains, i.e. to the lee of the pre- 
vailing storm winds. 
During the present inventory notes were made as to 
the orientation of each glacier plotted on the map. 
Even here it was sometimes difficult to be consistent. 
Different parts of a glacier may be oriented in differ- 
ent directions. For example, several glaciers move to 
the north or to the south from an accumulation area due 
east of & mountain ridge. In the present study we have 
paid most attention to the orientation of the accumula- 
  
  
1) Only the Swedish parts of glaciers on the Norwegian 
border have been included in the total area. 
37 
3 Archives 6 
1) Including dead ones, which were &live during the 
early part of the century.