| Term: | Fjord |
| Definition: |
Glacial troughs that fill with sea water. NSIDCCryosphere
A glacially eroded or modified U-shaped valley that extends below sea level and connects to the ocean. Filled with seawater, depths may reach more than 1,000 feet below sea level. The largest Alaskan fiords are more than 100 miles long and more than 5 miles wide. Also spelled Fiord. A fjord (from the Norwegian; spelt fiord in North America and New Zealand) is a long, narrow arm of the sea, formed as a result of erosion by a valley glacier. Swisseduc A deep-water inlet, usually surrounded by mountains; specifically a submerged U-shaped valley carved out by glacial action. The fjord is characteristic of the coastal regions of Norway, western Scotland and Ireland, Greenland, Labrador, Alaska, British Columbia, southern Chile, the Antarctic peninsula, southwest New Zealand, and other high-latitude oceanic islands (Iceland, Spitzbergen, Kerguelen, etc.). (Sometimes spelled fiord, fiard.) AMSglossary A glacial valley or glacial trough found along the coast that is now filled with a mixture of fresh water and seawater. PhysicalGeography Long narrow arm of the sea between high cliffs, but the term bay has also been applied to such features. (or Fiord) UKAntarcticTerms GCW |