Glacier Frontal Area & Thickness Profiles

Visual comparison of glacier frontal area and thickness profiles using line charts. These visualizations depict ice height (meters) versus distance along the glacier front (kilometers), allowing for direct comparison of major Antarctic and Greenland glaciers.

Data Interpretation

The line charts below represent cross-sections along the glacier fronts.

  • Y-Axis: Height in meters (relative to sea level).
  • X-Axis: Distance along the width of the glacier (varies by chart)
  • Note on Thickness: The vertical difference between surface and bedrock represents thickness only for grounded ice. Floating ice shelves will show different characteristics based on draft depth.

Regional Comparisons

Greenland Glacier Fronts

Comparative profiles of major outlet glaciers in Greenland.

Data Limitation: Surface data represents estimations from the time of model measurements. Significant changes may have occurred since then due to ongoing ice sheet mass balance changes.

Antarctic Glacier Fronts

Focus on West Antarctic Ice Sheet major outlet glaciers.

Note: Defining the edges of Antarctic glaciers can be complex due to subglacial topography. Most of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet lies below sea level, but exhibits distinct underwater glacier valleys.

Global Comparison: Major Ice Flows

Comparing frontal profiles of selected major glaciers across both ice sheets.

Data Sources & Provenance

Antarctica Data

Sourced from MEaSUREs BedMachine Antarctica, Version 4.

Fretwell, P. et al. (2013). The Cryosphere, 7, 375-393. DOI: 10.5067/POJQI54A45HX

Greenland Data

Sourced from NASA's IceBridge program via the IceBridge BedMachine Greenland, Version 6.

Morlighem, M. et al. (2017), updated 2018. DOI: 10.5067/6B6B225B8V2D