| Term: | Ice stream |
| Definition: | A part of an ice sheet or ice cap with strongly enhanced flow, often separated from surrounding ice by strongly sheared, crevassed margins. 'Pure' ice streams are bounded by ice on either side and lack significant non-glacial topographic control, while 'topographic' ice streams are constrained by the topography. An ice stream of the latter type is similar to an outlet glacier, but outlet glaciers do not necessarily have strongly enhanced flow velocity. |