Elevation of the ice-covered southern peak, Sydtoppen, of the Kebnekaise mountains, northern Sweden

Tarfala Research Station staff

This dataset provides annual elevation values for the ice-covered southern peak of the Kebnekaise massif from 1951 until 2026.

Kebnekaise is the highest mountain in Sweden. The Kebnekaise massif has two peaks; a northern ice-free peak with exposed bedrock at an elevation of 2096.8 meters above sea level and a southern ice-covered peak known as Sydtoppen (which means the southern peak in Swedish). Because of its ice-cover, Sydtoppen has a variable elevation — higher in winter as a consequence of snowfall, and lower in summer because of snow melt.

Reoccurring measurements of the elevation of Sydtoppen have been part of the measuring programme at the nearby Tarfala Research Station since the late 1940s. The elevation is measured at the end of every summer, aiming to capture the peak’s lowest elevation each year. Until 2018, Sydtoppen remained higher than the northern peak, but continued ice melt driven by climate warming has resulted in that Sydtoppen is now at lower elevation than the northern peak.

In the two last decades, the elevation of Sydtoppen has on average decreased by 0.59 m/year (between 2007 and 2016) and by 1.02 m/year (between 2017 and 2026). Note that annual variations occur: the largest individual annual decrease during the last two decades has been observed in 2024 (rendering a 3.3 m lower elevation compared to 2023), while the largest annual gain during the same period was recorded in 2012 (implying a 2.1 m higher elevation as compared to 2011). The remaining ice thickness at the southern peak is currently amounting to about 30 m.

TerrestrialGlaciersTarfalaKebnekaiseWeatherClimateArcticAlpineGlacier