An estimate of the flux of iceberg calving from Greenland

Using several relationships between calving velocity and physical parameters at the glacier's entry to the ocean, estimates are made of the iceberg flux from the Greenland ice sheet. The flux from each major glacier is estimated, leading to total iceberg fluxes of 170-270 Tkg yr(-1). This figure is rather less than recent estimates of this flux derived from an assumption of equilibrium in the ice sheet mass balance. The iceberg flux is consistent with airborne altimeter measurements.