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ice floe
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A group of chinstrap penguins stands and rests on a floating ice floe surrounded by dark Antarctic water. Adélie penguins on an ice floe polar bears on an ice floe sea ice and albedo
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ice floe

ice formation
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A group of chinstrap penguins stands and rests on a floating ice floe surrounded by dark Antarctic water.
Antarctic chinstrap penguins on an ice floe.

An ice floe is a large, flat mass of floating sea ice. Unlike glaciers, which form on land from compressed snow, ice floes originate in open water from frozen seawater.12

Ice Formation

In calm conditions, ice floes form when tiny ice crystals, called frazil, freeze together. This process, known as congelation, causes the ice to grow thicker from the bottom. In turbulent waters, frazil crystals clump into pancake shapes that thicken and stack, eventually forming ice floes. These floes are mobile and drift on the ocean's surface, influenced by wind and currents.23

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4 Britannica Sources
  1. What’s the Difference Between a Glacier and an Ice Floe?
  2. ice floe
  3. ice in lakes and rivers - Ice particles
  4. sea ice

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