ice shelf

noun

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Definition of ice shelf

: shelf ice

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

Recent Examples of ice shelf from the Web

Most ice was being lost from West Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula, where warmer ocean water is melting floating ice shelves at the end of glaciers, allowing ice pent up on land to slide faster toward the sea, the study said.

— author: alister doyle, Anchorage Daily News, "Antarctica’s ice melt is increasing rapidly, study finds, threatening coastal communities worldwide," 13 June 2018
Recently, the continent has seen a reduction in the extent of floating ice shelves.

— jen christensen, CNN, "Scientists lay out how to save a melting Antarctica -- and the grim future if we don't," 13 June 2018
Last July, a massive berg (but not as massive at B-15) called A-68 broke away from the Larsen C ice shelf.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "World’s Largest Iceberg Is Melting Away After 18 Years Adrift," 9 June 2018
The university has also used Storm Petrel to study ice shelves in Antarctica, the Davis Enterprise reported in May 2017.

— michael mcgough, sacbee, "Tahoe deputies help find missing UC Davis research robot that resembles torpedo," 4 June 2018
Several Antarctic glaciers have been making the news lately for breaking apart, including the Larsen C ice shelf and part of the Pine Island glacier, both in 2017.

— avery thompson, Popular Mechanics, "British and American Expedition Will Study the World's Most At-Risk Glacier," 1 May 2018
The ice shelves contain distinct layers, which could preserve a record of Mars' past climate, the scientists said.

— alex johnson, NBC News, "Huge reserves of water ice discovered on Mars could speed manned missions," 11 Jan. 2018
Other massive ice shelves have experienced destabilization after similar calving events.

— eric betz, Discover Magazine, "Icy Split-Up Could Destabilize Larsen C," 24 Jan. 2018
Fresh water from rapidly melting ice shelves, including the vulnerable Thwaites Glacier, is freshening the nearby ocean and preventing the waters from mixing.

— chelsea harvey, Scientific American, "Antarctic Glaciers Are Helping Drive Their Own Melt," 20 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ice shelf.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of ice shelf

1869

in the meaning defined above

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ice shelf

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