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Fast ice
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fast ice (land-fast ice, landfast ice) is sea ice that has frozen along coasts ("fastened" to them) along the shoals, or to the sea floor over shallow parts of the continental shelf, and extends out from land into sea. In Antarctic, fast ice may also extend between grounded icebergs Unlike drift ice, it does not move with currents and wind.[1]
The width (and the presence) of this ice zone is seasonal and depends on ice thickness, topography of the sea floor and islands. In Arctic seas the fast ice extends up to the depths of 20m, while in the Subarctic seas, the zone extends to depths of about 10m. In Antarctic, isebergs may be grounded at deeper places to serve as additional anchors for the fast ice, so the fast ice zone may extend to larger depths. In some coastal areas with abrupt shelf and no islands, e.g., in the Sea of Okhotsk off Hokkaidō, tides prevent the formaation of any fast ice. Smaller ocean basins may contain only the fast ice zone with no pack ice. [1]
The topography of the fast ice vary from smooth and level to rugged.
- ^ a b Matti Leppäranta (2005) "The Drift Of Sea Ice", Springer, ISBN 3540408819