Clear-sky, wintertime surface winds over the Greenland Ice Sheet are s
imulated with a three-dimensional mesoscale numerical model. It is sho
wn that the simulated winds blow from the broad gently sloped interior
to the steep coastal margins. This general wind pattern is similar to
that found over Antarctica due to the same governing dynamics. The lo
ngwave radiational cooling of the sloping ice terrain is the key drivi
ng force of this cold airflow. In some coastal areas the downslope win
ds converge into large fjords, such as Kangerlussuaq and Sermilik. Thi
s is consistent with the frequent presence in these areas of warm sign
atures on cloud-free thermal infrared satellite images that are genera
ted by katabatic winds. The shape of the Greenland Ice Sheet plays an
important role in directing the Row of the surface winds. The study de
monstrates that the surface wind pattern is only moderately affected b
y climatological flow around and over the ice sheet. The mass redistri
bution associated with the katabatic wind circulation plays an importa
nt role in generating prominent features of the time-averaged sea leve
l pressure and upper-level circulation fields near Greenland.