A Nation Remaining Undefeated by Mosquitoes (Though Such Victory Could Be Temporarily Lost)

In the remote and icy landscapes of Iceland, a unique natural advantage has long kept mosquitoes at bay. However, recent climate shifts are compressing the margins that once protected the island from these pesky insects.

Iceland, the only country on Earth where mosquitoes have never been able to establish a population, is home to a harsh environment that is constantly disrupted during autumn and spring by the freeze-thaw cycle. This unstable environment, created by the stop-start of the freeze-thaw cycle, makes it difficult for mosquitoes to complete their development.

Gíslason, a limnologist at the University of Iceland, warns that the issue is less about whether mosquitoes will arrive in Iceland, and more about when the climate will give them the chance to stay. Gíslason made headlines when he captured a live mosquito that had clung to the landing gear of a plane arriving from Greenland, proving that Iceland's isolation is not enough to keep them out.

Research by entomologists such as Robert Jones of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine supports this claim. Rising temperatures in the North Atlantic are altering seasonal patterns in Iceland, and each incremental rise brings Iceland a step closer to losing its unique immunity to mosquitoes.

While there is no publicly available information in German sources about specific organizations or researchers actively investigating the impact of climate change on the arrival and spread of mosquitoes (Stechmücken) in Iceland, the eventual arrival of mosquitoes would mark an ecological shift and the loss of one of its most unusual natural advantages.

Meanwhile, mosquitoes have already expanded their ranges in other parts of the world. In the continental United States, tropical species like Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are moving northward as winters soften. Similarly, mosquitoes have spread into high-altitude forests in Hawai'i due to warmer conditions and human transport.

These species are known carriers of dengue and chikungunya, potentially posing a significant health risk if they were to establish populations in Iceland. If the same process plays out in Iceland, the island could go from being a global outlier to another habitat vulnerable to mosquito invasion.

Arctic Canada mosquito species have evolved to survive the deep freeze, their eggs entering a dormant state until conditions improve. If Iceland experiences a slightly milder spring or a few extra frost-free weeks in autumn, it could provide enough time for mosquito larvae to mature.

While the arrival of mosquitoes in Iceland may seem like a minor concern, it could have far-reaching implications for the island's unique ecosystem. As Gíslason warns, the issue is not if, but when, the climate will give mosquitoes the chance to establish themselves in Iceland.