Field and laboratory studies of river ice processes and hydraulics

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In Canadian rivers frazil ice particles form in the water when the air temperatures drop well below zero. Active frazil ice particles are very adhesive crystals that readily stick to each other or to any surface they come in contact with. This can lead to the formation of anchor ice on the river bed, clogging of water intakes and to the development of frazil flocs that rise to the water surface and become part of the continuous ice cover. Three of the proposed projects focus on the development and deployment of an instrument called the Shallow Water Ice Profiling Sonar as a tool for studying river ice processes. Development of an accurate technique for measuring the properties of frazil ice will enable researchers to quantify frazil ice deposition and transport in rivers. This is vital to the development of accurate numerical river ice models that are essential for the assessment of environmental effects of weirs and dams on the ice regime of rivers and the evaluation of climate change impacts on water resources.