Topographic map of Greenland from bedrock elevation data - Vivid Maps
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Topographic map of Greenland from bedrock elevation data

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Greenland is the world’s largest island and the least densely populated country in the world. It is located in the northern part of the North American continent, between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean. Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark, with its own government and parliament.

The island has a total area of approximately 2.16 million square kilometers (836,330 square miles), with a coastline that stretches over 44,000 kilometers (27,000 miles). The terrain of Greenland is dominated by ice, with over 80% of the island’s surface covered in ice and snow. The ice sheet is up to 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) thick in some places and contains enough ice to raise global sea levels by around 7.2 meters (24 feet) if it were to melt completely.

Despite the harsh conditions, there are some areas of the island where life thrives. The southern coast of Greenland has a milder climate, and is home to most of the country’s population of around 56,000 people, mostly Inuit. The capital city, Nuuk, is located on the southwest coast and is the largest city in Greenland. The island’s economy is largely based on fishing and tourism, although there are also deposits of oil and minerals that are being explored.

Greenland’s geography is also notable for its fjords, mountains, and glaciers. The fjords are long, narrow inlets of the sea that are surrounded by steep cliffs. The mountains on the island are some of the highest in the Arctic, with peaks that reach over 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) in height. The glaciers are vast, slow-moving rivers of ice that flow from the ice sheet into the sea. These features contribute to the stunning natural beauty of Greenland, which is a popular destination for adventure tourism.

Greenland is covered by the largest ice sheet in the world outside of Antarctica, which is the largest ice sheet in the world. Approximately 85% of the island is permanently covered in ice up to 3,375 meters or 11,070 feet thick. The maps below show the topography of Greenland if all the ice melts.

Topographic map of Greenland from bedrock elevation data

The heavy sheet of ice that blankets Greenland makes it easy to think of it as a blank, featureless white plane. In reality, the ice’s elevation rises dramatically between sea levels around the coastline and in the eastern part of the country, where elevations reach 3,200 meters (10,499 feet).

Here the map that shows Greenland’s bedrock if all the ice melts.

Greenland's bedrock if it melted.

If all the ice in Greenland were to melt, it would have significant consequences for the environment and for human populations around the world.

Greenland is the world’s largest island and is covered by a massive ice sheet that contains about 8% of the Earth’s fresh water. If this ice sheet were to melt, it would result in a sea level rise of approximately 7.2 meters (23.6 feet).

The melting of the ice sheet would also have a significant impact on global weather patterns, as the release of so much fresh water into the oceans could potentially disrupt ocean currents and the global climate. The loss of the ice sheet would also have a significant impact on the ecosystems of the Arctic and subarctic regions, which depend on the ice and snow for their survival.

In terms of the physical appearance of Greenland, if all the ice were to melt, it would become a series of islands, as the bedrock beneath the ice would be exposed. The landscape would be drastically altered, with the disappearance of glaciers, ice caps, and ice sheets, and the formation of new lakes and rivers.

Overall, the melting of all the ice in Greenland would have far-reaching and profound consequences, both for the natural world and for human society.

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