Rock Glaciers and Permafrost Features on Disko Island, Greenland

Disko Island, an 8600 km² volcanic landmass in West Greenland, is the focus of this dataset documenting permafrost-related geomorphic features. The dataset likely contains information on rock glaciers and open-system pingos, which are indicators of continuous permafrost in the region. It references meteorological data from Godhavn, including a mean annual air temperature of -3.9°C (1961-1990) and an estimated permafrost thickness of 175-225 meters.

Use Cases

• Mapping permafrost distribution based on geomorphic indicators like rock glaciers.
• Modeling permafrost thickness using geothermal gradients and historical air temperature data.
• Analyzing the relationship between climate variables (temperature, precipitation) and periglacial landforms.
• Studying landscape evolution in a plateau basalt terrain with U-shaped valleys and fjords.

Strengths

• References a long-term meteorological record from Godhavn, with observations since 1923.
• Integrates specific climatic data, including mean annual temperature (-3.9°C) and precipitation (400 mm water equivalent).
• Cites multiple peer-reviewed studies on rock glaciers and permafrost indicators for the region.

Limitations

• Dataset size, row count, and specific column structure are unknown across all sources.
• The description is incomplete, ending mid-sentence ('presumab...'), suggesting truncated documentation.
• Conflicting freshness information: one source lists a future 'last updated' date (2026-04-09), which is not credible.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

null

Time Range

References meteorological data from 1923 onward and a study period of 1991-1996 for specific temperature measurements.

Freshness

null

Geography

Disko Island, West Greenland.