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Description
891 observed and potential hydrologic outlets of the Greenland Ice Sheet, mapped via photo interpretation of satellite imagery. The dataset includes 460 confirmed outlets, such as proglacial streams, lakes, and sediment plumes, and 431 potential outlets where meltwater release is less certain. It provides a point-based inventory for analyzing meltwater drainage from the ice sheet edge.
Use Cases
[Mapping meltwater drainage pathways] based on [observed proglacial streams, rivers, and lakes]
[Identifying potential subglacial discharge points] based on [locations where the ice sheet directly connects to the ocean]
[Analyzing sediment transport from glaciers] based on [locations of sediment-rich plumes exiting tidewater glaciers]
[Assessing spatial completeness of outlet inventories] based on [the documented exclusion of the northern Tunu region]
Strengths
[Contains a specific inventory of 891 point features] derived from [satellite imagery interpretation]
[Documents a clear classification scheme] distinguishing [460 observed and 431 potential outlets]
[Provides peer-reviewed documentation] via the [Lewis and Smith (2009) journal article]
Limitations
[Imagery acquisition dates are not specified], only presumed to be from summer seasons
[A small region (northern Tunu, ~0.9% of ice sheet perimeter) was excluded] due to lack of imagery
[Conflicting metadata exists for last_updated date] between platforms (2026-04-10 vs 2000-12-31)
Provenance
Source
Lewis, Sarah and Laurence Smith (2009). National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Collection Method
Photo interpretation of GoogleEarth and Landsat ETM+ 15 m panchromatic satellite imagery.
Time Range
Imagery presumed from summer seasons, exact dates unknown.