polynya

po·lyn·ya  (pln-yä, p-lny)

n.

An area of open water surrounded by sea ice.

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[Russian polyn'ya, from poly, open, hollow; see pel-² in Indo-European roots.]

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polynya  (pln-yä, p-lny)

An area of open water surrounded by sea ice. A polynya can be formed by the presence of a heat source that keeps the area from freezing. A more complex process involves wind or ocean currents that carry ice away from the polynya, constantly exposing more ocean water to ice formation and resulting in the release of very salty, dense water that sinks to become part of a halocline.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

polynya - a stretch of open water surrounded by ice (especially in Arctic seas) body of water, water - the part of the earth's surface covered with water (such as a river or lake or ocean); "they invaded our territorial waters"; "they were sitting by the water's edge"