An ice floe () is a segment of floating

ice Ice is water that is frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 ° C, 32 ° F, or 273.15 K. It occurs naturally on Earth, on other planets, in Oort cloud objects, and as interstellar ice. As a naturally oc ...

defined as a flat piece at least across at its widest point, and up to more than across.

Drift ice Drift or Drifts may refer to: Geography * Drift or ford (crossing) of a river * Drift (navigation), difference between heading and course of a vessel * Drift, Kentucky, unincorporated community in the United States * In Cornwall, England: ** D ...

is a floating field of

sea ice Sea ice arises as seawater freezes. Because ice is less density, dense than water, it floats on the ocean's surface (as does fresh water ice). Sea ice covers about 7% of the Earth's surface and about 12% of the world's oceans. Much of the world' ...

composed of several ice floes. They may cause

ice jam Ice jams occur when the ice that is drifting down-current in a river comes to a stop, for instance, at a river bend, when it contacts the river bed in a shallow area, or against bridge piers. Doing so increases the resistance to flow, thereby in ...

s on freshwater rivers, and in the open ocean may damage the

hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...

s of ships. Snow or ice weather phenomena

Gallery

File:Drift ice in Hudson Strait, 2014.jpg, Several ice floes in the

Hudson Strait Hudson Strait () in Nunavut links the Atlantic Ocean and the Labrador Sea to Hudson Bay in Canada. This strait lies between Baffin Island and Nunavik, with its eastern entrance marked by Cape Chidley in Newfoundland and Labrador and Nunavut ...

File:IceNomenclature-2LightPack.jpg, Ice floes in the Weddell Sea File:In the Arctic Sea - An Ice Floe Adrift (NBY 439626).jpg, ''"In the Arctic Sea – An Ice Floe Adrift"''. Postcard, Albert Operti, early 20th century

References

Sea ice {{Ocean-stub