The ten largest glacier complexes on Earth by area, from the Antarctic Peninsula's 80,852 km² ice cover to the Southern Patagonian Icefield — ranked by total area, excluding the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets.
Updated August 9, 202610 ranked4 sources
Quick answer: 1. Antarctic Peninsula Glacier Complex, 2. Alexander Island Glacier Complex, 3. Malaspina-Seward Glacier Complex, 4. Severny Island Northern Ice Cap, 5. Northern Ellesmere Icefield, 6. Prince of Wales Icefield, 7. Agassiz Ice Cap, 8. Southern Patagonian Icefield, 9. Devon Ice Cap, 10. Asgardfonna Ice Cap.
Glacier complexes are groupings of glaciers that meet at ice divides, forming ice caps and icefields. Unlike individual glaciers, these complexes can span tens of thousands of square kilometers. The largest glacier complexes are found in the polar regions and the Southern Andes, with the Antarctic Peninsula complex alone covering an area larger than the country of Austria.
This list ranks the ten largest glacier complexes by area, based on the systematic assessment by Windnagel et al. (2022) published in the Journal of Glaciology, using data from the Randolph Glacier Inventory and the Global Terrestrial Network for Glaciers (GTN-G). The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are excluded from this ranking, though peripheral glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula are included.
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Area (km²)
Area (km²)
Antarctic Peninsula Glacier Complex
80852 km²
Alexander Island Glacier Complex
47486 km²
Malaspina-Seward Glacier Complex
30195 km²
Severny Island Northern Ice Cap
20667 km²
Northern Ellesmere Icefield
19500 km²
Prince of Wales Icefield
19000 km²
Agassiz Ice Cap
18000 km²
Southern Patagonian Icefield
13000 km²
Devon Ice Cap
12000 km²
Asgardfonna Ice Cap
9000 km²
The ranking
1
Antarctic Peninsula Glacier Complex
The Antarctic Peninsula glacier complex covers approximately 80,852 km², making it the largest glacier complex in the world by a wide margin. It consists of about 1,500 individual glaciers flowing from the ice-covered peninsula north of 70° S. While sometimes treated as part of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, it is hydrologically distinct and classified as a separate ice cap by Windnagel et al. (2022).
The Alexander Island glacier complex covers approximately 47,486 km² on Alexander Island, located at the southern end of the Antarctic Peninsula. This ice cap excludes the ice shelves connected to the island and is the second largest glacier complex identified in the Windnagel et al. study. It is one of the largest ice masses on Earth not connected to the main Antarctic ice sheet.
The Malaspina-Seward Glacier Complex in Alaska covers approximately 30,195 km², making it the largest glacier complex outside Antarctica. The complex includes the Malaspina Glacier, a massive piedmont glacier, and the Seward Glacier, which feeds into it from the St. Elias Mountains. It is the largest glacier complex in the Northern Hemisphere outside the Arctic islands.
Region: AlaskaConstituent glaciers: ~20Type: Icefield complexCountry: United States
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4
Severny Island Northern Ice Cap
The Severny Island Northern Ice Cap covers approximately 20,667 km² on Severny Island, the northern island of Novaya Zemlya in the Russian Arctic. This ice cap is one of the largest ice masses in the European Arctic and is part of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, which separates the Barents and Kara Seas. The ice cap has been experiencing accelerated mass loss in recent decades.
Region: Russian ArcticConstituent glaciers: ~100Type: Ice capCountry: Russia
5
Northern Ellesmere Icefield
The Northern Ellesmere Icefield covers approximately 19,500 km² on the northern coast of Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic. This icefield feeds numerous outlet glaciers that discharge into the Arctic Ocean, including the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf, the largest remaining ice shelf in the Arctic. The region has experienced significant ice shelf breakup in recent decades due to warming temperatures.
Region: Canadian ArcticConstituent glaciers: ~80Type: IcefieldCountry: Canada
6
Prince of Wales Icefield
The Prince of Wales Icefield covers approximately 19,000 km² on central Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. It is one of the largest icefields in Canada and feeds numerous tidewater glaciers that calve into the fiords of eastern Ellesmere Island. The icefield is named after the Prince of Wales Mountains that rise along its eastern margin.
Region: Canadian ArcticConstituent glaciers: ~70Type: IcefieldCountry: Canada
7
Agassiz Ice Cap
The Agassiz Ice Cap covers approximately 18,000 km² on central Ellesmere Island, adjacent to the Prince of Wales Icefield. Named after the Swiss-American naturalist Louis Agassiz, this ice cap is one of several large ice masses on Ellesmere Island. It contains the Agassiz Ice Rise, which is one of the highest points on the island's ice cover.
Region: Canadian ArcticConstituent glaciers: ~60Type: Ice capCountry: Canada
8
Southern Patagonian Icefield
The Southern Patagonian Icefield (Hielo Patagónico Sur) covers approximately 13,000 km² in the Andes of southern Chile and Argentina. It is the largest glacier complex outside the polar regions and the largest ice mass in the Southern Hemisphere outside Antarctica. The icefield feeds dozens of outlet glaciers, including the famous Perito Moreno Glacier, and is a major freshwater reservoir.
Region: PatagoniaConstituent glaciers: ~50Type: IcefieldCountry: Chile / Argentina
9
Devon Ice Cap
The Devon Ice Cap covers approximately 12,000 km² on Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. It is the largest ice cap on an island in the Canadian Arctic outside of Ellesmere Island. The ice cap reaches a maximum thickness of about 880 meters and feeds outlet glaciers that flow into the surrounding fiords of Devon Island.
Region: Canadian ArcticConstituent glaciers: ~40Type: Ice capCountry: Canada
10
Asgardfonna Ice Cap
Asgardfonna is the largest ice cap on the Svalbard archipelago, covering approximately 9,000 km² on the island of Spitsbergen. Named after the realm of the gods in Norse mythology, Asgardfonna is part of the larger Svalbard ice cover and feeds several major outlet glaciers. It is the largest glacier complex in the European Arctic outside of Novaya Zemlya.
Glacier complexes are ranked by total area in square kilometers (km²), as defined and measured by Windnagel et al. (2022) in the Journal of Glaciology. Complexes are defined as groupings of glaciers that meet at ice divides, forming ice caps and icefields. Areas are derived from the Randolph Glacier Inventory (RGI 6.0) and the GLIMS glacier database. The two continental ice sheets (Greenland and Antarctic) are excluded, but peripheral glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula are included as part of the Antarctic Peninsula glacier complex. Areas are based on recent satellite measurements and carry inherent uncertainties from delineation of glacier boundaries. The ranking follows the published Table 1 of Windnagel et al. (2022) and is supplemented by data from the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS).
FAQ
What is the difference between a glacier complex and an individual glacier?
A glacier complex is a grouping of multiple glaciers that meet at ice divides, forming ice caps and icefields. Individual glaciers are distinct ice masses that flow downhill under gravity, usually with well-defined boundaries. The distinction matters because the largest individual glaciers cover thousands of square kilometers, while the largest complexes span tens of thousands of square kilometers. The Antarctic Peninsula complex, for example, contains about 1,500 individual glaciers.
Why are the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets excluded from this ranking?
The Greenland Ice Sheet (1.7 million km²) and the Antarctic Ice Sheet (12.3 million km²) are orders of magnitude larger than any glacier complex and are classified as ice sheets rather than glacier complexes. The study by Windnagel et al. (2022) focused on glaciers and glacier complexes distinct from the two continental ice sheets, though it did include the peripheral glaciers of the Antarctic Peninsula as a separate complex.
How are glacier complex boundaries determined?
Boundaries are determined using hydrological drainage basins derived from digital elevation models. Glacier complexes are defined where multiple glaciers share ice divides at their upper reaches. The Randolph Glacier Inventory (RGI 6.0) and GLIMS database provide the underlying glacier outlines, which are then grouped into complexes based on topographic divides. The methodology is described in detail in Windnagel et al. (2022).