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But you may be struggling to understand some of the finer details of melting ice, such as the difference between icebergs and ice floe. An iceberg is a large mass of freshwater ice that has broken off of a glacier or an ice shelf. An ice floe is a large, flat pack of floating ice.
While it is true that both glaciers and ice floes are large masses of ice that can be found in arctic regions, there is a major difference between them. Basically, glaciers originate on land, and ice floes form in open water and are a form of sea ice.
Glaciers are massive bodies of ice that form over time on land, while icebergs are chunks of ice that break off from glaciers and float freely in bodies of water. Glaciers are larger, composed of compacted snow and ice, and constantly in motion due to gravity.
Fast ice, or land-fast ice, refers to the large, solid ice sheets that are attached to land. The pack ice consists of the smaller, free-floating pieces of sea ice. They may have formed independently, or may have broken off from the fast ice (Figure 14.1.3).
5 lut 2018 · Icebergs can help scientists answer questions about how polar ice influences ocean currents, and how climate affects polar ice. They also provide freshwater and nutrients to the ocean as they melt, helping to sustain plankton, fish and other aquatic life in these regions.
8 cze 2018 · ICE FLOES: Plates of floating sea ice, that is, ice formed by freezing of the top layer of the ocean; distinct from icebergs, which are thicker and are produced by the breakup of glaciers flowing into the sea. Any floating plate of ice wider than 6 mi (10 km) is termed an ice field, not an ice floe.
A glacier is different from an ice floe or pack ice. Glaciers are formed on land (on continents), while ice floes and pack ice float on water (in oceans). There are two main types of glacier: ice caps and glaciers dependent on relief.
