polynya
noun
po·lyn·ya
ˌpä-lən-ˈyä 
plural polynyas also polynyi
ˌpä-lən-ˈyē
: an area of open water in sea ice
Examples of polynya in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Maud Rise polynya opens up The dramatic loss of sea ice around Antarctica has occurred with the re-emergence of the Maud Rise polynya in the Weddell Sea – a huge hole in the sea ice nearly four times the size of Wales, which hadn’t occurred since the 1970s, the study reports.
—
Doyle Rice, USA Today, 3 July 2025
Understanding the factors that contribute to their creation—especially of an anomalous open-ocean polynya like the large Weddell polynya—can then lead to more accurate predictions of their behavior in a warming climate, the study says.
—Ainslie Cruickshank, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Mar. 2021
Since breaking off, both icebergs have moved into an area called a polynya or polynia, where an expanse of open water is surrounded by sea-ice.
—Smriti Rao, Discover Magazine, 26 Feb. 2010
It was discovered about a decade ago that this meltwater was providing iron-rich water to the polynya.
—Allison Chinchar, CNN, 7 May 2022
Researchers at the University of Toronto-Mississauga found the polynya formed on May 14, 2020.
—Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY, 15 May 2020
The Weddell polynya, however, formed much farther from shore.
—Ainslie Cruickshank, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Mar. 2021
The team found that, in order for a polynya to occur, there need to be a perfect storm of factors, so to speak.
—Aj Willingham, CNN, 11 June 2019
Records show that the 2016 polynya originally formed at the same time a storm swept through the region.
—Chelsea Harvey, Scientific American, 11 June 2019
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Doyle Rice, USA Today, 3 July 2025
Understanding the factors that contribute to their creation—especially of an anomalous open-ocean polynya like the large Weddell polynya—can then lead to more accurate predictions of their behavior in a warming climate, the study says.
—Ainslie Cruickshank, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Mar. 2021
Since breaking off, both icebergs have moved into an area called a polynya or polynia, where an expanse of open water is surrounded by sea-ice.
—Smriti Rao, Discover Magazine, 26 Feb. 2010
It was discovered about a decade ago that this meltwater was providing iron-rich water to the polynya.
—Allison Chinchar, CNN, 7 May 2022
Researchers at the University of Toronto-Mississauga found the polynya formed on May 14, 2020.
—Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY, 15 May 2020
The Weddell polynya, however, formed much farther from shore.
—Ainslie Cruickshank, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Mar. 2021
The team found that, in order for a polynya to occur, there need to be a perfect storm of factors, so to speak.
—Aj Willingham, CNN, 11 June 2019
Records show that the 2016 polynya originally formed at the same time a storm swept through the region.
—Chelsea Harvey, Scientific American, 11 June 2019
Cite this Entry
“Polynya.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polynya. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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