Storstrømmen (Greenland)

Storstrømmen
Queen Louise Land ONC map section with the Storstrømmen in the upper right
Location within Greenland
TypePiedmont glacier
LocationGreenland
Coordinates77°0′N 22°40′W / 77.000°N 22.667°W / 77.000; -22.667
Area32,100 km2
Length125 km
Width26 km
TerminusBorg Fjord through Bredebrae;
North Atlantic Ocean

Storstrømmen (meaning "Large Stream" in Danish), is one of the major glaciers in northeastern Greenland. The North-East Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS) discharges into 3 main marine-terminating outlets: 79N Glacier, Zachariae Isstrøm and Storstrømmen – as arranged North to South.

Storstrømmen's ice flows at an average of 185m/yr, an order of magnitude slower than its Northern cousins. This is suggested as this outlet sits on higher elevations, where the subglacial topography and hydro-dynamics pin and slow glacier flow, relative to predominantly marine-based 79N and Zachariae Isstrøm. All 3 outlets see an increased ice velocity in the summer months, as surface meltwater is fed into the subglacial environment, saturating highly-malleable tills and lubricating the over-riding glacier's movement.

Storstrømmen was named because of its size. It was given this name by the ill-fated 1906–08 Denmark Expedition (Danmark-Ekspeditionen) led by Ludvig Mylius-Erichsen.