ice shelf
nounDefinition of ice shelf
: 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
As this grounding line recedes, bits of the ice shelf break off. — The Economist, "Climate change is a remorseless threat to the world’s coasts," 17 Aug. 2019 Meanwhile, ocean water seeps beneath the ice shelf and washes up against the base of the glacier. — Chelsea Harvey, Scientific American, "Antarctic Glaciers Lost Stunning Amount of Ground in Recent Years," 4 Apr. 2018 First, bubble-free icebergs need to form at the bases of ice shelves jutting out into the Southern Ocean. — Robin George Andrews, National Geographic, "Icebergs can be emerald green. Now we know why.," 15 Mar. 2019 Thicken the ice on the inland side of the grounding line, and the thickness of ice flowing over the line and into the ice shelf increases—its weight keeps the grounding line pinned in place. — Scott K. Johnson, Ars Technica, "Running the numbers on an insane scheme to save Antarctic ice," 20 July 2019 Alternatively, says Marsh, the stresses on the ice shelf could force Chasm 1 to take a turn toward the ocean. — National Geographic, "This giant chunk of ice could break off Antarctica any day," 25 Mar. 2019 The problem is that large iceberg-forming events like this one can trigger additional breaks, potentially leading to the collapse of the entire ice shelf. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "An Iceberg Twice the Size of New York City Is Poised to Break Off Antarctica," 26 Feb. 2019 Scientists believe changing winds are forcing the water toward the region's ice shelves, and the changes may be linked to a warming atmosphere. — Stephen Witt, WIRED, "Fitted With Sensors, Antarctic Seals Track Water Temperatures," 25 June 2019 This migration can cause the ice shelves in front of them to destabilize and fragment, potentially unleashing armadas of jade bergs. — Robin George Andrews, National Geographic, "Icebergs can be emerald green. Now we know why.," 15 Mar. 2019These 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.
Keep scrolling for more