ice shelf

noun

: shelf ice
In 2002, a Rhode Island-size section of an ice shelf crumbled into the sea.Joe McGowan

Examples of ice shelf in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Some sections build up ice shelves, but the creek is still flowing and the fish are still biting. Brittany Anas, The Denver Post, 12 Mar. 2024 These now warmer waters can eat away at the giant, buttressing ice shelves from below. Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 2 Mar. 2024 That warming is melting ice shelves, causing sea-level rise and intensifying the water cycle. Evan Bush, NBC News, 16 Jan. 2024 As the planet warms, larger volumes of warm water are bathing the undersides of West Antarctica’s ice shelves, the giant tongues of ice at the ends of glaciers. Raymond Zhong, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2023 But the loss of sea ice means less sunlight is reflected into space, accelerating warming seas and potentially threatening ice shelves that hold back the continent’s massive glaciers, some of which are melting perilously quickly. Jacob Turcotte, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 Sep. 2023 That research resulted in the publishing of a study earlier this month showing how a tropical storm near the equator impacted Antarctica, warming the temperatures enough to harm one of the continent's endangered ice shelves. Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2024 Ice scientists, for example, have grown concerned that nearing 2 degrees could cause the long-term melt of ice shelves in Greenland, West Antarctica and vulnerable parts of East Antarctica, committing the planet to nearly 40 feet of sea-level rise over a few hundred years. Evan Bush, NBC News, 10 Jan. 2024 And as the fringe of ice around Antarctica gets smaller, warmer ocean water can more easily flow toward the floating ice shelves that buttress vast areas of inland ice that could start flowing into the sea faster to speed sea level rise. Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 6 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ice shelf.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1869, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ice shelf was in 1869

Dictionary Entries Near ice shelf

Cite this Entry

“Ice shelf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ice%20shelf. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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