ClimateAugust 16, 2026
embayment
em-BAY-ment
Definition
A recess or indentation in a coastline that forms a bay or a similar inlet where the sea penetrates the land.
Etymology
Derived from the English 'embay,' meaning to enclose in a bay, which comes from the Old French 'embayer,' combining 'en-' (in) and 'baie' (bay).
In the news
The article uses the term to describe the Amundsen Sea embayment, highlighting the specific geographical area where warm ocean water interacts with ice shelf edges.
We tend to picture glaciers as slow rivers of frozen water, but the Byrd Glacier in Antarctica drains an area larger than California through a gap in the Transantarctic Mountains at up to 800 metres a year, dragging enough ice to raise global sea level measurabl
Read the full article ↗Space Daily