ice shelf
Frozen coastal platform
An ice shelf is a thick platform of ice extending from a glacier or ice sheet over coastal waters, floating but still attached to land.
Ice shelves form where glacial ice flows to the sea and spreads outward: The Ross Ice Shelf covers an area larger than California.
When sections break off, they become icebergs.
Ice mass separation
- disintegrationProcess of breaking apart
- breakupRomantic relationship's termination
- fractureSplit in hard material
- destabilizationCausing loss of stability
retreat · meltwater · rifting · fragmentation · thinning · crumbling · detachment · hydrofracture
Slow-moving ice mass
- firnYear-old compacting snow
- accumulationCollected mass over time
- snowfallPrecipitation of frozen crystals
- compressionForcing into smaller space
Deep glacial fissure
- riftCrack or estrangement
- pressure ridgeBuckled ice formation
- thicknessDepth of material
- floating platformBuoyant surface on water
Sea around Antarctica
- research stationSite for scientific investigation
- polar climatePersistently freezing atmospheric conditions
- South PoleSouthernmost point on Earth
- McMurdoAntarctic research outpost
Rising planetary temperatures
- sea level riseIncreasing ocean surface height
- climate changePlanetary atmospheric transformation
- ocean warmingRising marine temperatures
- thermal expansionVolume increase from warming
albedo · meltwater · tipping point · greenhouse effect · climate modeling · paleoclimate · temperature rise · climate monitoring
calving
Ice mass separation
- disintegrationProcess of breaking apart
- breakupRomantic relationship's termination
- fractureSplit in hard material
destabilization · retreat · meltwater · rifting · fragmentation · thinning · crumbling · detachment · hydrofracture · structural failure
glacier
Slow-moving ice mass
- firnYear-old compacting snow
- accumulationCollected mass over time
- snowfallPrecipitation of frozen crystals
crevasse
Deep glacial fissure
- riftCrack or estrangement
- pressure ridgeBuckled ice formation
- thicknessDepth of material
Southern Ocean
Sea around Antarctica
- research stationSite for scientific investigation
- polar climatePersistently freezing atmospheric conditions
- South PoleSouthernmost point on Earth
global warming
Rising planetary temperatures
- sea level riseIncreasing ocean surface height
- climate changePlanetary atmospheric transformation
- ocean warmingRising marine temperatures
thermal expansion · albedo · meltwater · tipping point · greenhouse effect · climate modeling · paleoclimate · temperature rise · climate monitoring · satellite observation
- AntarcticaSouth Pole, Amundsen, Scott, penguins, glaciology
- Ice Age Featuresglacier, permafrost, moraine, glacial lake, drumlin
- cold watersArctic Ocean, Antarctic waters, polar seas, glacial river, glacier lake
- ArcticArctic Circle, Arctic Ocean, Arctic wildlife, Arctic exploration, Arctic research
- ice and snowicicle, glacier, hail, sleet, snowflake
- polar regionsAntarctica, polar bears, Arctic Ocean, glaciers, Arctic
ice shelflava flow
Moving volcanic discharge
molten rock · magma chamber · open ocean · liquid water · thermal vent
ice shelfcoral reef
Calcium carbonate marine ecosystem
desert · volcanic island · rainforest · savanna · mangrove swamp
ice, shelf, iceberg, ice-cold, shelves, ices, iciness, icebox, icecap