Indigenous Knowledge

TuvailikKuk
'The ice is breaking up.' (Nunatsiavummiutitut, Labrador Virtual Museum)

Tuvaijappalliajuq ᑐᕙᐃᔭᑉᐸᓪᓕᐊᔪᖅ
'(general term: sikuippalliajuq ᓯᑯᐃᑉᐸᓪᓕᐊᔪᖅ) Ice flowing away (breaking off) from the floe edge (or could be from land), due to warmth, and new ice forming will still be dangerous.' (Sanikiluaq Siku Terminology Workshop, 2018)

Tuvaijaqtuq ᑐᕙᐃᔭᖅᑐᖅ
'ᓯᑯ  ᓄᓇᒧᑦ  ᕿᖁᑎᓯᒪᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ  ᐳᒃᑕᓛᓕᕌᖓᒥ. The process of tuvaq breaking off the land; starts occuring even before break-up; becomes free-floating, unstable, full of killait, and no longer safe for travel.' (North/South Qikiqtaaluk, Inuit Siku Atlas)

Uukkaqtuq ᐆᒃᑲᖅᑐᖅ
'ᓯᑯ ᐊᖏᓈᖅᑐᖅ ᓯᖁᑦᑎᕐᓃᑦ ᓵᕕᑦᑐᖅ ᐃᖏᕐᕋᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐊᐅᓚᑕᐅᒐᒥ. The process of uukkaq occurring, the ice is breaking off and floating away (involving larger pieces of ice than siqumaq); usually happens where a nagguti or aajuraq had formed, often caused by currents. WMO term: diverging' (North/South Qikiqtaaluk, Inuit Siku Atlas)

Sikuirpalliajuq ᓯᑯᐃᕐᐸᓪᓕᐊᔪᖅ
'ᓯᑯ  ᐲᕐᐸᓪᓕᐊᔪᖅ  ᑐᕙᕐᒥᑦ. Process of the tuvaq breaking off, and becoming free-floating; occurs more in spring as part of break-up, but can happen in winter' (North/South Qikiqtaaluk, Inuit Siku Atlas)

Related term

Qaattuq ᖄᑦᑐᖅ
'(refl.) the sea ice moves out (from the land or from the solid sea ice or tuvaq); cf. qanngajuq; uukkartuq; tuvartuq; tuvairtuq; saavittuq' (Aivilingmiutut, Spalding 1998:105)

Western Knowledge

Diverging
'(close approximation) Ice fields or floes in an area that are subjected to a diverging motion, reducing ice concentration and/or relieving stresses in the ice.' (MANICE, Section 1.8.5: Ice Motion Processes)

Profile photo credit: Inuit Siku Atlas