Glacier Size
A size comparison between glaciers in terms of height and width of the terminus. The glacier thickness is not necessarily the difference between the surface and bedrock. This is only true for grounded ice. Defining the edges of Antarctic glaciers is difficult because most of the western ice sheet is below sea level, but they still exhibt an underwater glacier valley.
All of Greenlands major glaciers would fit into Pine Island Glacier from a width perspective. The adjacent Thwaites Glacier is another 60% wider.
The surface data is just an estimation from the time when the measurements for the model were made. Since then they could have changed significantly.
The surface data is just an estimation from the time when the measurements for the model were made. Since then they could have changed significantly.
Data used
P. Fretwell, et al. 2013. Bedmap2: improved ice bed, surface and thickness datasets for Antarctica. doi:10.5194/tc-7-375-2013
Morlighem, M. et al. 2017, updated 2018. IceBridge BedMachine Greenland, Version 3. Boulder, Colorado USA. NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center. doi: https://doi.org/10.5067/2CIX82HUV88Y.