Glossary

Frequently Asked Questions.

Sea ice that is normally anchored to the place where it first formed.

The edge between the fast ice and drifting ice or drift-ice edge at a given time.

A type of sea-ice overlapping in which parts of two ice floes are forced over and under one another in an alternating, “fingerlike” pattern.

Sea ice that has grown for one winter at most, having developed from young ice.

Flagellates are single-celled organisms with whip-like appendages used for locomotion. Flagellates can be phototrophic or heterotrophic.

A narrow marginal zone between drifting ice and fast ice in which the pieces of ice are scattered about chaotically. Formed along the fast-ice edge by shearing motion and the influences of powerful winds and currents on drifting ice.

A navigable lead (waterway) between drifting ice and fast ice.

Sea ice that is flooded with water and wet snow.

Carbon-based fuels derived from fossil carbon dioxide deposits, including coal, peat, oil and natural gas.

Emissions of greenhouse gases (esp. carbon dioxide) produced by burning fuels from fossil carbon deposits, including coal, oil and natural gas.

Material quality resulting from mechanical overloading. Every hole and crack in very tight, compact or compressed pack ice, fast ice, or individual floes.

An area with multiple fractures in the ice.

Compression processes in which the ice is constantly deformed, leading to cracks.

Free-floating ice needles or wafers.

Refers to the portion of sea ice extending above the ocean’s surface.

A standard for the intensity of below-zero temperatures in a given timeframe, frequently used in the USA.

Fog-like clouds produced when cold air comes into contact with comparatively warm water. Frost smoke can occur over gaps (leads) in the ice or in the lee of the ice edge and can persist during the formation of new ice.