ice field

American  

noun

1. a large sheet of floating ice, larger than an ice floe.

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ice field British  

noun

1. a very large flat expanse of ice floating in the sea; large ice floe

2. a large mass of ice permanently covering an extensive area of land

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ice field Scientific  

1. A large expanse of ice covering a mountainous region and consisting of several interconnected glaciers.

2. An extensive area of ice on the surface of the ocean, consisting of multiple ice floes and covering an area that is greater than 10 km (6.2 mi) across.

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Etymology

Origin of ice field

First recorded in 1685–95

Example Sentences

The ship is blown southeast, toward Antarctica and its ice fields.

From The Wall Street Journal

In order for the Erebus to make its way through the thickest ice fields, the British Admiralty equipped the vessel with a fifteen-ton, twenty-five horsepower railroad locomotive engine.

From Literature

After that, near-surface temperatures will rise sharply, speeding up melting across the world's ice fields.

From Science Daily

Waist-deep snow, ice fields, avalanches and the risk of hypothermia and frostbite make the mountain a far riskier proposition.

From Los Angeles Times

They monitored floods, measured continental and ocean-surface temperatures, traced the movement of ice fields, and sensed the ground buckle during earthquakes.

From BBC

Related Words

• ice floe
• iceberg