A data set of monthly freshwater fluxes from the Greenland ice sheet’s marine-terminating glaciers on a glacier–basin scale 2010–2020

• Published in: GEUS Bulletin
• Main Authors: Nanna B. Karlsson, Kenneth D. Mankoff, Anne M. Solgaard, Signe H. Larsen, Penelope R. How, Robert S. Fausto, Louise S. Sørensen
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland 2023
• Subjects: ice mass loss; ice sheet – fjord interactions; ice surface melt; iceberg discharge; basal melt; Geology; QE1-996.5; Geophysics. Cosmic physics; QC801-809; Greenland; glacier; greenlandic; Ice Sheet
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.34194/geusb.v53.8338; https://doaj.org/article/2cb911f0e02f491595c5917ebece35db

The loss of mass from the Greenland ice sheet causes an increasing influx of freshwater to the Greenlandic fjords and the oceans. Freshwater fluxes from marine-terminating glaciers are important to understand fjord circulation and ecosystem dynamics. Here, we present a data set constructed by reformulating existing products into a shared temporal and spatial framework. We combine three publicly available data sets of solid-ice discharge (iceberg), liquid-surface runoff (runoff) and basal melt to present a cohesive overview of the flow of freshwater from marine-terminating glaciers to the Greenlandic fjords. We also calculate glacier drainage basins and compare our findings to previous studies showing that drainage-basin sizes may vary considerably depending on how they were reconstructed. The data set will be a valuable asset to oceanographic, glaciological and marine biological research activities.