| Term: | Ice shelf |
| Definition: | A floating ice sheet of considerable thickness showing 2-50 m or more above sea-level, attached to the coast or a glacier. Usually of great horizontal extent and with a level or gently undulating surface. Nourished by annual snow accumulation at the surface and often also by the seaward extension of land glaciers. Limited areas may be aground. The seaward edge is termed an ice front. |