1.An accumulation of frazil in a body of water. 2.The initial stage of ice formation in turbulent water. Frazil ice consists of platelets or discs roughly 1 mm in diameter. These small platelets clump
together to form shuga, and eventually (if sufficient open water area exists) form pancake ice. Frazil ice may form in open water leads and around the ice margins in the Arctic, but it is most common in the Antarctic. It may also form in turbulent rivers in winter, particularly in rapids.
Fine spicules or plates of ice, suspended in water. Frazil ice formation represents the first stage of sea ice growth. The frazil crystals are usually suspended in the top few centimetres of the surfa
ce layer of the ocean and give the water an oily appearance. In the open ocean the crystals may form, or be stirred to a depth of several metres by wave-induced turbulence.