BedMachine v3: Complete Bed Topography and Ocean Bathymetry Mapping of Greenland From Multibeam Echo Sounding Combined With Mass Conservation

TLDR

Greenland’s bed topography and fjord bathymetry control ice flow, grounding line migration, calving dynamics, and the penetration of warm Atlantic water that melts and undercuts marine‑terminating glaciers. The study presents a new Greenland bed topography compilation that assimilates seafloor bathymetry and ice thickness data via a mass‑conservation approach. The authors constructed a 150 m horizontal‑resolution bed topography/bathymetry map of Greenland with seamless ice‑ocean transitions, improving data quality especially in marine‑terminating sectors of northwest and southeast Greenland. The map estimates Greenland’s sea‑level potential at 7.42 ± 0.05 m, 7 cm higher than prior estimates, explains recent outlet glacier calving responses, and identifies new Atlantic‑water pathways that expose vulnerable marine‑based sectors to future oceanic forcing.

Abstract

Greenland's bed topography is a primary control on ice flow, grounding line migration, calving dynamics, and subglacial drainage. Moreover, fjord bathymetry regulates the penetration of warm Atlantic water (AW) that rapidly melts and undercuts Greenland's marine-terminating glaciers. Here we present a new compilation of Greenland bed topography that assimilates seafloor bathymetry and ice thickness data through a mass conservation approach. A new 150 m horizontal resolution bed topography/bathymetric map of Greenland is constructed with seamless transitions at the ice/ocean interface, yielding major improvements over previous data sets, particularly in the marine-terminating sectors of northwest and southeast Greenland. Our map reveals that the total sea level potential of the Greenland ice sheet is 7.42 ± 0.05 m, which is 7 cm greater than previous estimates. Furthermore, it explains recent calving front response of numerous outlet glaciers and reveals new pathways by which AW can access glaciers with marine-based basins, thereby highlighting sectors of Greenland that are most vulnerable to future oceanic forcing.