ice shelf

noun

1. an ice sheet projecting into coastal waters so that the end floats.

ice shelf

noun

1. a thick mass of ice that is permanently attached to the land but projects into and floats on the sea

Word History and Origins

Origin of ice shelf¹

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

In May a huge iceberg broke off from an Antarctic ice shelf, drifted, and came to a stop - right in front of “maybe the world’s unluckiest” penguins.

From BBC

It also protects the exposed edges of the ice shelves from waves, curbing Antarctica's contribution to sea level rise.

From Science Daily

When air temperatures in Antarctica rise and glacier ice melts, water can pool on the surface of floating ice shelves, weighing them down and causing the ice to bend.

From Science Daily

The study, published in Science Advances, sheds new light on the mechanisms driving the melting of ice shelves beneath the surface of the ocean, which have been unclear until now.

From Science Daily

That change in the winds pushes cold surface waters away from the continent, allowing warmer, deeper water to be pulled under the glaciers’ ice shelves.

From Science Magazine