Greenland ice sheet

The Greenland ice sheet is a vast ice mass covering most of Greenland. Its complete melting would raise global mean sea level by about 7.4 meters.

Surface mass balance: The difference between snow and rain added to an ice surface and mass lost through processes such as melting and sublimation. This balance tracks snowfall and surface losses across the ice sheet.
Sea-level rise: An increase in the average height of the ocean surface relative to land. Ice loss from Greenland adds water to the ocean and raises sea level.
Jakobshavn Glacier: A major outlet glacier in western Greenland, also known as Sermeq Kujalleq. Its rapid flow and retreat have made it a closely monitored example of glacier change.
Ice sheet: A continent-scale mass of glacial ice that covers surrounding terrain and flows outward under its own weight. Greenland’s ice mass is one of Earth’s two present-day ice sheets.
Ice-sheet tipping point: A threshold beyond which an ice sheet may undergo self-sustaining loss even if external forcing stabilizes. Researchers debate whether warming could commit Greenland to extensive long-term retreat.
Ice flow: The movement of glacier ice under gravity through internal deformation and sliding over its bed. Ice flow carries inland ice toward outlet glaciers and the coast.
Sea-level fingerprint: The distinctive geographic pattern of sea-level change caused by a particular source of changing land or ocean mass. Sea-level rise from Greenland is uneven because its gravity and crustal effects change as ice is lost.
Helheim Glacier: A large outlet glacier in southeastern Greenland that drains ice into Sermilik Fjord. Its observed speed changes illustrate the dynamic behavior of Greenland’s marine-terminating glaciers.
Glacier: A persistent body of land ice that deforms and flows under gravity. The ice sheet’s moving outlet glaciers are part of the broader glacier family.
Ice-sheet hysteresis: A dependence of an ice sheet’s state on its history, so recovery may require conditions different from those that caused retreat. Greenland may not regrow simply when temperatures return to the level at which retreat began.

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