River Ice

Abstract

River ice processes have an important influence on winter hydrology of cold regions. During freeze-up excessive frazil ice production can obstruct water intakes to constrain hydro-power production, and frazil accumulations can be detrimental to fish habitat. Frazil problems may persist through winter or, alternatively, mid-winter thaws may lead to premature breakup and possible ice jam flooding. The river ice breakup period may be characterized by severe ice runs associated with ice jam formation and release, with potential impacts on infrastructure, and a high risk of flooding. An overview of river ice research undertaken in the past decade is presented, including investigations into the potential impacts of climate change on rivers in the Mackenzie Basin, observations of dynamic river ice processes such as ice jam formation and release, application of satellite remote sensing techniques for river ice characterization and the development of new hydraulic and logic based models for ice jam flood forecasting. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.