Glacier Identification: The glacier code is based on the division of the Greenland coast into hydrological basins. The continent and administrative unit, typically included in WGMS data base entries, are omitted from all ID numbers as in all cases they are GL 2U (for the administrative unit of Greenland and the continent of North America).

Latitude and Longitude: The geographic coordinates of the glacier. The location is defined as a point situated on the central line of movement in the ablation area. For the sectors of outlets of the Greenland ice sheet the coordinate point is placed in the ablation zone close to the margin so that redefinition of the total sector area will not influence the coordinates given.

Orientation: The orientation of the ablation area in the down glacier direction.

Maximum glacier elevation: The highest elevation of the glacier in decameter above sea level (a.s.l.). Data are taken from topographic maps and should be considered as estimates. For outlets of the Greenland ice sheet the maximum elevation is omitted and 1800 decameters a.s.l. is assumed as an upper limit of the measured glacier area.

Minimum glacier elevation: The lowest elevation of the glacier in decameters above sea level. This field is left blank if the glacier terminus is unmeasured because the glacier terminates in the sea.

Surface area: The surface area of the glacier in square kilometers. Areas were measured using a high resolution digitizer. For outlet glaciers from the Greenland ice sheet, measured areas are for the marginal areas under 1800 meters a.s.l.

Morphology code: A series of six codes describing various morphology characteristics of the glacier. The codes are described in the following tables.

Digit 1 - Primary classification
      0 Uncertain or miscellaneous
      1 Continental ice sheet
      2 Ice-field
      3 Ice cap
      4 Unused
      5 Valley glacier
      6 Mountain glacier
      7 Glacier and snowfield
      8 Ice shelf
      9 Rock glacier

Digit 2 - Form
      0 Uncertain or miscellaneous
      1 Compound basins
      2 Compound basin
      3 Simple basin
      4 Cirque
      5 Niche
      6 Outlet
      7 Ice apron
      8 Group
      9 Remnant 

Digit 3 - Frontal characteristic 
      0 normal or miscellaneous 
      1 Piedmont
      2 Expanded foot
      3 Lobed
      4 Calving in sea; considerable calf ice
      5 Calving in sea ice; grounded
      6 Calving in lake
      7 Confluent

Digit 4 - Longitudinal profile
      0 Uncertain or miscellaneous
      1 Even, regular
      2 Hanging
      3 Cascading
      4 Ice-fall
      5 Interrupted

Digit 5 - Major source of nourishment 
      0 unknown 
      1 Snow and/or drift snow
      2 Avalanche ice and/or snow 
      3 Superimposed ice 

Digit 6 - Activity of tongue 
      0 uncertain 
      1 Marked retreat (> 1.5 km)
      2 Slight retreat (< 1.5 km)
      3 Stationary
      4 Slight advance
      5 Marked advance
      6 Possible surge
      7 Known surge
      8 Oscillating

Map: Reference to maps contained within the Atlas publication (Weidick, Bogglid, and Knudsen 1992).

Please note: A user discovered errors in this data set. The tables below describes the errors, their corrections, and the source of the error. Possible error sources include the publication titled "Glacier Inventory and Atlas of West Greenland" (Weidick et al. 1992), and the original data file distributed by NSIDC, titled glaciers.dat. An updated data file titled glaciers_08302004.dat, which includes all corrections, is available by FTP as of 21 September 2004.

* Glacier Inventory and Atlas of West Greenland

The following records in the Atlas publication appear to contain typographical errors in the latitude and/or the longitude. One user of this data set has suggested the following values as replacements. Please note that NSIDC did not change these values in the data file glaciers_08302004.dat.