inlandice

Inland ice is a term used in glaciology to describe thick ice masses that form on land, rather than on the surface of the ocean. These ice bodies result from long-term accumulation of snowfall that is compressed into dense ice and begin to deform and flow under their own weight. Inland ice can cover large areas and typically thickens toward the interior of the ice mass, reaching basins of bedrock that the ice overlies. Unlike sea ice, inland ice remains anchored to the land and can move slowly over time, feeding outlet glaciers and calving at margins when it reaches lower elevations or contact with water.

Largest inland ice bodies exist on continents, most notably the Antarctic Ice Sheet and the Greenland Ice Sheet, which together contain the majority of the Earth’s freshwater ice. Smaller instances include ice caps and large valley or plateau glaciers in high mountain regions. The boundary between inland ice and other glacial forms is fluid in common usage, but in scientific terms ice sheets are the most expansive inland ice forms, whereas ice caps are more limited in extent.

Mass balance of inland ice is governed by accumulation in the interior and ablation at the margins, with flow physics controlled by thickness, bedrock topography, temperature, and subglacial hydrology. These dynamics influence sea-level change when ice losses exceed gains. Since many inland ice bodies respond to climatic changes, they are a central focus of remote sensing and field monitoring, providing data on past and present climate, as well as future projections.