Greenland Ice Sheet Elevation, Thickness, and Bedrock Grids

Greenland 5 km DEM, Ice Thickness, and Bedrock Elevation Grids, Version 1 provides a foundational geospatial dataset for the Greenland Ice Sheet. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration produced it under the PARCA program, synthesizing satellite radar altimetry, airborne laser mapping, and photogrammetric data. Ice thickness grids incorporate approximately 730,000 data points from airborne radar and echo sounder surveys conducted in the 1970s and 1990s.

Use Cases

• Calculating gravitational driving stress for ice flow models using the surface elevation (DEM) and bedrock elevation grids.
• Estimating ice volume and mass balance by analyzing the ice thickness grid across the ice sheet.
• Modeling subglacial topography and hydrology by examining the derived bedrock elevation layer.
• Validating newer satellite altimetry or ice-penetrating radar data against this established baseline dataset.

Strengths

• Ice thickness data is based on a substantial collection of approximately 730,000 airborne radar and echo sounder measurements.
• The DEM combines multiple data sources (ERS-1, Geosat, ATM, photogrammetry) for improved spatial coverage.
• Provides three core, co-registered geophysical grids (surface, thickness, bedrock) derived from a consistent methodology.

Limitations

• Primary data collection occurred in the 1990s and 1970s, limiting temporal relevance for contemporary change studies.
• Conflicting last updated dates exist between platforms (1999 vs. 2026), suggesting potential metadata inconsistencies.
• Specific column names, row counts, and grid dimensions are not provided in the available metadata.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), PARCA program.

Collection Method

Data fusion: DEM from ERS-1/Geosat satellite radar altimetry, Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM), and photogrammetry. Ice thickness from University of Kansas airborne Ice Penetrating Radar (IPR) and Technical University of Denmark (TUD) airborne echo sounder.

Time Range

1970s to 1990s

Freshness

2026-03-13 01:49:25.343442

Geography

Greenland Ice Sheet