Definition

Noun: - Masses of ice floating in the open sea: Drift ice refers to large, detached pieces or fields of ice that are carried by winds and currents across the surface of an ocean or sea. It is not attached to land.

Usage

• Drift ice is a common feature in polar and subpolar seas.
• It is distinct from fast ice, which is anchored to the shore or seabed.
• The term describes the ice itself and its collective, moving state.

Examples

Advanced Usage

• "Drift ice zone": The area of a sea or ocean covered by drift ice.
  • The research vessel entered the drift ice zone to collect data.
• The concept is often discussed in the context of climate change, as changes in drift ice patterns indicate shifts in sea temperature and currents.

Variants and Related Words

• Ice floe (n): A single, flat piece of drift ice. While "drift ice" often refers to the collective mass, an "ice floe" is an individual piece.
  • A large ice floe broke away from the main pack.
• Pack ice (n): A large area of drift ice that is packed together. "Drift ice" can consolidate into pack ice.
  • The expedition was halted by impassable pack ice.

Synonyms

• Floating ice: A general, descriptive synonym.
• Sea ice: A broader term that includes all ice formed from seawater, which may be drifting or fast.

Related Phrases

• To drift: The verb from which the term is derived, meaning to be carried slowly by a current of air or water.
  • The iceberg began to drift southward.

Noun

1. masses of ice floating in the open sea