A shore lead (or coastal lead) is an oceanographic term for a waterway opening between pack ice and shore. While the gap of water[1] may be as narrow as a tide crack if closed by wind or currents, it can be as wide as 1,000 feet (300 m).[2] Its formation can be influenced by tidal action, or subsurface conditions, such as current and ocean floor.[2] Commonly, a shore lead is navigable by surface vessels.[3]
An opening ("lead") between pack ice and fast ice is referred to as a flaw lead.[3]
- ^ "Annual Ice". eoearth.org. Retrieved 2008-10-30.
- ^ a b Aufderheide, A.C.; Pitzl, G. (1968). "Observations on Ice Regions of the Arctic Ocean" (PDF). Arctic. 23 (2). ucalgary.ca: 135, 136. doi:10.14430/arctic3166. ISSN 0066-6963. OCLC 183414927.
- ^ a b "Lead". dbcp.noaa.gov. Archived from the original on 2009-01-08. Retrieved 2008-10-30.