Abstract
A total of 2100 km of streams were identified in the Faroe Islands.
They have small catchment areas, mostly between 0.1 to 1 km2
with
the largest drainage basin being 35 km2
. The mean length of the
longest stream channel in each basin was 831 m (n=1205; SD=955)
and the longest 7.3 km. The Faroe Islands are mountainous, with
50% of streams above 200 m a.s.l. The slopes of the streams are
rather steep, with more than one third of reaches sloping 5° or
more. Maximum mean annual discharge is estimated to be 2128
for the largest river.
Measurements show discharge fluctuated with precipitation as
the bedrock is impermeable to water resulting in little retention
time. Average discharge of measured streams was 55-1, and only
8 streams had greater discharge than 100 L s-1. The water temperature followed the ambient air temperature, but could when
the streams were small be warmed up by the sun-baked bedrock.
Conductivity of the streams was measured around 100 µS cm-1 (be-
260 • Dorete – her book
tween 58 µS cm-1 and 227 µS cm-1) influenced by sea spray, with
high conductivity on Suðuroy. The pH was usually around 7.
Animal communities in Faroese streams were dominated by Chironomidae larvae, and other groups were Oligochaeta, Acarina and
Crustacea. Other insect groups had low densities.
They have small catchment areas, mostly between 0.1 to 1 km2
with
the largest drainage basin being 35 km2
. The mean length of the
longest stream channel in each basin was 831 m (n=1205; SD=955)
and the longest 7.3 km. The Faroe Islands are mountainous, with
50% of streams above 200 m a.s.l. The slopes of the streams are
rather steep, with more than one third of reaches sloping 5° or
more. Maximum mean annual discharge is estimated to be 2128
for the largest river.
Measurements show discharge fluctuated with precipitation as
the bedrock is impermeable to water resulting in little retention
time. Average discharge of measured streams was 55-1, and only
8 streams had greater discharge than 100 L s-1. The water temperature followed the ambient air temperature, but could when
the streams were small be warmed up by the sun-baked bedrock.
Conductivity of the streams was measured around 100 µS cm-1 (be-
260 • Dorete – her book
tween 58 µS cm-1 and 227 µS cm-1) influenced by sea spray, with
high conductivity on Suðuroy. The pH was usually around 7.
Animal communities in Faroese streams were dominated by Chironomidae larvae, and other groups were Oligochaeta, Acarina and
Crustacea. Other insect groups had low densities.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Dorete - her book |
| Subtitle of host publication | being a tribute to Dorete Bloch and to Faroese nature |
| Editors | S-A Bengtson, P. Buckland, P. H. Enckell, A. M. Fosaa |
| Place of Publication | Tórshavn |
| Publisher | Fróðskapur |
| Pages | 259–287 |
| Number of pages | 29 |
| Volume | 52 |
| Edition | 1 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9789991865300 |
| Publication status | Published - 2010 |
Publication series
| Name | Annales Societatis Scientiarum Færoensis Supplementum |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Fróðskapur – Faroe University Press |
| Volume | 52 |
| ISSN (Print) | 0365-6772 |
Keywords
- streams
- Faroe Islands
- animal communities
- insects
