pancake ice

American  

[pan-keyk ahys] / ˈpæn keɪk ˌaɪs /

noun

1. a grouping of circular, flat pieces of ice with raised rims, formed by the accumulation of frazil and slush on the surface water of seas and large lakes.

   They call the pancake ice this far north “the lily pads of the Arctic,” which is perfectly descriptive.

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pancake ice British  

noun

1. thin slabs of newly formed ice in polar seas

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Etymology

Origin of pancake ice

First recorded in 1810–20; ice pancake ( def. )

Example Sentences

Another neat ice effect is something called pancake ice, where gently sloshing waves cause water to freeze into tons of individual patties, rather than a solid sheet.

From Washington Post

Shackleton ordered the sails raised and led the way through the loose pack and pancake ice again.

From Literature

There’s brash ice, pancake ice, bullet ice, green ice, frazil, nilas, breccia, shuga, slush ice, rotten ice, pressure ice, grease ice, ice dust, shorefast ice, ice flowers, ice haycocks, ice saddles, floes, calf bergs, growlers, and sastrugi, to name just a few.

From Literature

I personally hope we’ll always have Pancake Ice just so I can have access to it.

From Los Angeles Times

Perhaps this has to do with the variable concentration of what Dr. Biddle called “pancake ice,” which creates heat variations in the mixed layer.

From New York Times