ATMOSPHERIC FUTURES

My investigations into the dynamic atmsopheric systems unfolding in the coming centuries led me to consider the diverse range of hydrologies that would emerge following glacial melt. I landed on three sites in particular - each of high conservation value and unique water charactersistics - to explore within my proposals for the Vatnajökull Botanical Parks. The manmade resevoir and former wetland systems of the Sauðárdalur valley; the frequently flooded plains of the birch forests of Skeiðarársandur and Skaftafell; and the unique habitat of the Grímsvötn subglacial geothermal caldera. Each site represents unique possibilities to respond to the notion of ‘archiving’, distinct in character, yet united by their regime of disturbances, their moments of stasis and dynamisism, and their focus on preserving and facilitating ecological resilience.