Gunnar Østrem 1922-2020

Gunnar Østrem was born 22 March 1922 and died on 12 January 2020 at the age of 97.

Gunnar was an extraordinary enthusiastic glaciologist! He built up the glacier office (brekontoret) at the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), Oslo, Norway, from 1962. He initiated glacier mass balance investigations in Norway and Canada. He also worked as professor at Stockholm University, Sweden. 

In 2007 Gunnar's 85 year anniversary was celebrated at NVE with a symposium: 'Bresymposium Gunnar Østrem'. The half-day symposium took place on March 22, the World Water Day. Gunnar himself started the show with a brilliant delivery about his work in Canada in the 1960’s with establishing mass balance measurements there. He enchanted the audience in 40 minutes with his speech and his excellent way of presenting his experiences there. In real Qstrem-manner there was served ice cream and sweets in the coffee break. See imagery from the glacier symposium.  Read article in Ice

In 2012 we celebrated the 50 year anniversary of the Glacier office at NVE (in Noregian: Brekontoret). Gunnar was active member of the organizing comittee. Read article about the event in ICE  including several pictures of Gunnar: 50 years of the NVE's Glaciology Office

Gunnar served on various committees for the International Glacologial Society (IGS) and was made a honorary member of IGS in 2001. The International Glaciological Society has set up a website for Gunnar: https://www.igsoc.org/news/gunnarostrem/

Simon L. Ommanney has made an augmented bibliography of Gunnar Østrem's publications.