field ice

Field ice is a term usually applied to frozen sea water floating in much looser form than pack ice.

The sea in which we now were was thickly covered with ice islands, but had no field ice, and we pushed on boldly as before.

What they called field ice is thicker; and the whole field, be it ever so large, consists of one piece.

We ourselves were undoubtedly deceived by the ice-hills, the day we first fell in with the field-ice.

Go through it we must, or stay where we are until that field-ice gives us a jam down yonder in the crescent.