oil on canvas, 41cm x 61cm, Iain White 2007, £150
The Ölfusá is formed at the confluence (just north of the town of Selfoss) of the rivers Hvítá which is fed by meltwater from the Langjökull and Sog draining Pingallavatn to the north, and flows for 25 km to the ocean. It is Iceland's largest river, tidal up to 10 kilometres inland, with a discharge area is 5760 square kilometres.
Beyond Selfoss the river increases in width to 5 kilometres and shallows in the estuary. It seen here in the early morning in October partially frozen over, ice breaking up along the shore below the black sand dunes of the western msrgin. The river’s outlet is relatively narrow between the reefs Oseyrarnes in the east and Hafnarskeid in the west, where the river was bridged in 1988 (360 m.).
The Ölfusá has a strong salmon fishing industry. The salmon is both caught by anglers and netted in the estuary. Seals enter it and sometimes swim upriver to the waterfalls of Faxi on Tungufljot or Gullfoss on Hvitá. Some of the islets in the estuaries are breeding areas for some bird species The Flói Nature Reserve is located on its eastern shore where it meets the sea.
