A Vast Valley Network Beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Mapping subglacial topography along the margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet was revolutionized by reconciling measurements of ice thickness and surface velocity using the principle of mass conservation. Despite evidence that many subglacial valleys resolved by that method extend upstream, it cannot be applied to the ice sheet's slower‐flowing interior, where ice thickness observations are sparse. Here we apply Ice Flow Perturbation Analysis to surface elevation and velocity observations, revealing a vast, island‐wide network of subglacial valleys connected to the peripheral valleys resolved by the mass conservation method. The morphology of this valley network further implicates Greenland's southern and eastern highlands as inception points for the ice sheet and also suggests that this network is modulated by both groundwater flow and Greenland's tectonic inheritance.
Source: Geophysical Research Letters
DOI: 10.1029/2026gl122028
Institutions: Goddard Space Flight Center, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Dartmouth College, Princeton University, Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement, Université Grenoble Alpes, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Tongji University
Language: English
Subfield: Atmospheric Science
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,190
Award: G6384234306
OpenAlex ID: W7166641494