ice shelf
4
4.1
- noun
- /aɪs ʃɛlf/
:
plataforma de hielo
- In Antarctica, giant icebergs have calved and part of the Larsen ice shelf has disintegrated.
- Antarctic ice shelf
- Larsen ice shelf
- ice shelf collapse
Examples
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The entire ice shelf is fracturing!
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This means regular trips out across the ice shelf to the satellite station on Black Island.
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But in recent years the ice shelf has been having a lot of trouble with surface melt.
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Moreover, the problem here is there is an ice shelf in this area kind of surrounding it.
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In a period of 35 days, started January 31, 2002, this ice shelf disappeared completely.
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Note that the entire floating ice shelf moves by about 1 to 1.3 km per year, slightly less than a mile per year.
Blog text (6) -
We know that life on Earth exists everywhere from under the ice shelves of Antarctica to the bottom of the deepest ocean.
Academic text (2010) -
Two of these, the Prince Gustav and Larsen ice shelves, broke up suddenly in 1995.
Academic text (2000) -
Although Antarctica warmed around the perimeter from 1982 to 2004, where huge icebergs calved and some ice shelves disintegrated, it cooled closer to the pole.
Blog text (34) -
The massive ice shelf off the coast of Antarctica is crucial for maintaining the stability of the glaciers.
Synonyms
A large area of ice attached to land that sticks out over the sea, often near the poles
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is directly built from 'ice' (frozen water) + 'shelf' (a flat projecting surface), so a learner who knows both words can infer a flat/platform of ice projecting out over water. This type of noun–noun compounding is compositional and cross-linguistically common, making the meaning readily predictable for a B1 learner.
Etymology
Ice shelf paints a simple picture: a wide piece of ice that sticks out over the sea like a shelf on a wall, formed where a glacier reaches the coast. So, it means 'a thick, floating platform of ice at the edge of the land'.