Ice front positions for Greenland glaciers (2002–2021): a spatially extensive seasonal record and benchmark dataset for algorithm validation

Variations in Greenland glacier ice-front positions reflect the magnitude and trends of glacier advance and retreat and are critical for understanding ice-sheet dynamics. This dataset provides a spatially extensive and seasonally targeted record of glacier terminus positions across Greenland. It includes 19,171 ice-front delineations for multiple glacier types, including marine-, lake-, and land-terminating glaciers, spanning the period 2002–2021. The delineations were derived from multi-source satellite imagery, including Landsat 5/7/8, Sentinel-1/2, MODIS, ENVISAT ASAR, ASTER, and ERS SAR. All calving front positions were digitized using standardized workflows implemented in GEEDiT and ArcGIS and are accompanied by detailed metadata. Data quality was assessed through comparisons with TermPicks, the largest compilation of manually interpreted glacier terminus traces across diverse sensors and glacier conditions, and AutoTerm, an automated product with denser temporal coverage. Median average minimum distances (AMD) of 54 m relative to TermPicks and 67 m relative to AutoTerm indicate high position precision. The dataset is distributed in GeoPackage format (total size: 26.19 MB) and includes glacier-specific centrelines for analysis. It provides a spatially extensive, high-quality benchmark for investigating Greenland glacier dynamics, refining time-varying boundary conditions in ice-sheet models, and supporting the development and validation of automated glacier front-tracking algorithms.