“The desert where we gathered the sand is in Kaldidalur, on the edge of the Icelandic Highlands, one of the largest deserts in the world. About 20,000km2 of Iceland is volcanic sandy desert. The spot where we collected the sand is between Langjökull and Ok mountain, home to the first glacier Iceland lost to climate change. The origin of the desert in this area is complex and represents the deserts in Iceland well. The desert was formed due to the vicinity of glaciers and the sand that spills from these glaciers, and also because of erosion of the soil, from centuries of overgrazing sheep after Icelandic settlers had deforested areas to make charcoal through pyrolysis. We have deserts with names like Víðidalur, “Willow Valley" where the name echoes a different past. Additional stress from the Little Ice Age and tephra from volcanic eruptions contributed to making Iceland witness degradation erosion in huge proportions. Throughout the 20th century Icelanders have been fighting erosion and trying to reforest areas with some progress.” Andri Snær Magnason