Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun An open or unfrozen place in the midst of the ice of a river or lake or in the ocean: a word used in English only by navigators in arctic seas.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The open sea supposed to surround the north pole.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Alternative form of
polynya .
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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"polynia" - an area of open water surrounded by ice.
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He added that as well as providing a feeding site for the region's wildlife, the polynia also was a key production site of "bottom water"; very cold, dense water that sinks to the ocean floor.
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By opening up the polynia, the loss of the ice tongue could affect this process.
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The open water within the polynia provides favourable conditions for the growth of algae, which help to support an ecosystem that includes emperor penguins and seals.
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When the sea freezes inside a polynia, it leaves unusually salty water which sinks to the bottom of the ocean.
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He added that the new iceberg had shortened the length of the Mertz Glacier Tongue, which could result in pack ice entering the area and disrupting the polynia.
EcoEarth.Info Environment RSS Newsfeed BBC: none given 2010
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Before the formation of the iceberg, the Mertz Peninsula provided the right conditions for a polynia - an expanse of open water surrounded by sea-ice - to exist.
EcoEarth.Info Environment RSS Newsfeed BBC: none given 2010
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Before the formation of the iceberg, the Mertz Peninsula provided the right conditions for a polynia - an expanse of open water surrounded by sea-ice - to exist.
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He added that as well as providing a feeding site for the region's wildlife, the polynia also was a key production site of "bottom water"; very cold, dense water that sinks to the ocean floor.
EcoEarth.Info Environment RSS Newsfeed BBC: none given 2010
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He added that the new iceberg had shortened the length of the Mertz Glacier Tongue, which could result in pack ice entering the area and disrupting the polynia.
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