Along Greenland’s southwest coast (Nuup Kangerlua/Godthåbsfjord to Narsarsuaq), many tidewater outlet glaciers have retreated and thinned markedly since the 1990s, with several (e.g., Narsap Sermia, Qalerallit Sermia) pulling back from the sea and transitioning toward land-terminating fronts. Others, like Kangiata Nunaata Sermia (KNS), have undergone episodic retreats and accelerations tied to ocean–glacier interactions and fjord circulation. Jakobshavn Isbræ (Ilulissat) farther north remains a West Greenland touchstone for rapid change. These shifts reconfigure fjords, lake formation, and coastal ecosystems.
SW Greenland tidewater glaciers show stepwise retreats since the 1980s, with notable episodes after the late-1990s/early-2000s. In Godthåbsfjord, KNS and Narsap lost ice via thinning and calving (1985–2014), with documented retreat bursts in 2004–05, 2010–12, and 2019–21 for Narsap Sermia. Qalerallit Sermia near Narsarsuaq retreated so rapidly that formerly marine fronts became land-terminating by the 21st century.
PHOTO_YEAR
Description: The 4-digit year of the photograph used for measurements of Greenland glacier parameters. Note: If more than one photograph were used, the most relevant year is recorded here; and the others used are recorded in the REMARKS field. In general, the Greenland glaciers outlines; and hence, the values for area and length; were determined from Greenland aerial photographs, so we recommend using the PHOTO_YEAR for glacier area values.
No Data Value: Null
Example: 1976
MAX_ELEV
Description: Maximum elevation of the highest point of the Greenland glacier in meters above sea level, up to 4 digits.
No Data Value: Null
Example: 3962
MEAN_ELEV
Description: The mean elevation is the altitude of the contour line, in meters above sea level, that halves the area of the glacier, up to 4 digits.
No Data Value: Null
Example: 3170
MIN_ELEV
Description: The minimum elevation of the lowest point of the glacier in meters above sea level, up to 4 digits.
No Data Value: Null
Example: 1590
FORM
0 Miscellaneous Any type not listed below.
1 Compound Basins Two or more individual valley glaciers issuing from tributary valleys and coalescing.
2 Compound Basin Two or more individual accumulation basins feeding one glacier system.
3 Simple Basin Single accumulation area.
4 Cirque Occupies a separate, rounded, steep-walled recess which has formed on a mountain side.
5 Niche Small glacier in a V-shaped gully or depression on a mountain slope; generally more common than genetically further-developed cirque glacier.
6 Crater Occurring in extinct or dormant volcanic craters.
7 Ice Apron Irregular, usually thin ice mass which adheres to mountain slopes or ridges.
8 Group A number of similar ice masses occurring in close proximity to one another but are too small to be assessed individually.
9 Remnant Inactive, usually small ice masses left by a receding Greenland glacier.
FRONT_PROF:
0 Miscellaneous Any type not listed below.
1 Piedmont Ice field formed on a lowland area by lateral expansion of one or coalescence of several glaciers.
2 Expanded Foot Lobe or fan formed where the lower portion of the glacier leaves the confining wall of a valley and extends on to a less restricted and more level surface.
3 Lobed Part of an ice sheet or ice cap, disqualified as an outlet glacier.
4 Calving Terminus of a glacier sufficiently extending into sea or lake water to produce icebergs; includes- for this inventory- dry land ice calving which would be recognizable from the "lowest glacier elevation."
5 Confluent Coalescing, non-contributing.
6 Irregular, mainly clean ice (mountain or valley glaciers).
7 Irregular, mainly debris-covered (mountain or valley glaciers).
8 Single lobe, mainly clean ice (mountain or valley glaciers).
9 Single lobe, mainly debris-covered (mountain or valley glaciers).
SRC_NOURSH:
0 Unknown
1 Snow
2 Avalanches
3 Superimposed ice
TONGUE_ACT:
0 Uncertain
1 Marked retreat
2 Slight retreat
3 Stationary
4 Slight advance
5 Marked advance
6 Possible surge
7 Known surge
8 Oscillating
TOTAL_AREA:
The total area of the glacier in a horizontal projection in square kilometers.
AREA_ACY:
Area Accuracy Ratings
Rating Accuracy (%)
1 0 - 5
2 5 - 10
3 10 - 15
4 15 - 30
5 > 30
AREA_IN_ST:
The total area of the Greenland glacier that resides in the political state concerned in a horizontal projection in square kilometers.
AREA_EXP:
The area of the exposed ice of the glacier in a horizontal projection in square kilometers.
MEAN_WIDTH:
The mean width of the Greenland glacier in a horizontal projection in kilometers.
MEAN_LENGT:
Mean length of the Greenland glacier in a horizontal projection in kilometers.
MAX_LENGTH:
Maximum length of the Greenland glacier in kilometers measured along the most important flowline in a horizontal projection.
MAX_LEN_EX:
Maximum length, in kilometers, of the exposed ice of the glacier in a horizontal projection.
MAX_LEN_AB:
Maximum length, in kilometers, of the ablation area of the Greenland glacier in a horizontal projection.
Source: World Glacier Inventory
Map Copyright CCCARTO 2024