Monitoring and modelling water quality under ice affected conditions in rivers

在加拿大和其他寒冷地区，河冰可能持续半年或更长时间。 河冰的存在对河流水动力学、化学物质的迁移和归宿产生重大影响，对河流生态系统和河流功能产生重大影响。 了解和预测在冰影响阶段较少探索的水质与开放水域阶段同样重要。 然而，目前的知识是有限的，目前的模式有能力有限的稳定冰盖阶段，不能处理更复杂的，动态的阶段（冻结和破碎）。 气候变化和人类活动的增加使这一问题进一步复杂化，需要对已经敏感的冬季河流水质进行评估。 是项研究将透过实地监测、实验室实验及数值模拟，在以下范畴产生新知识：1）加深了解不同河冰阶段及形态对冬季河流水质的影响; 2）一个崭新及全面的模型/工具，可同时模拟水质、河冰及水动力，并考虑三者之间的反馈;（3）为决策者在气候变化和人类活动背景下保护和改善寒区河流水质提供科学、实用的指导方针。这项研究将在加拿大和国外产生重要的社会影响。 从科学角度讲，它将扩大目前对河流水质的认识，从开放水域到冰季。 实际上，它将为监管机构、政策制定者、研究人员、咨询公司和工业用户提供一个重要的工具/模型和指南，以改善河流水质、冰和流量（洪水）方面的管理。这项研究还将培养下一代高素质人才。

In Canada and other cold regions, river ice could last for half a year or more. The presence of river ice substantially impacts hydrodynamics and transport and fate of chemicals in rivers, resulting in great implications to river ecosystems and river functions. Understanding and predicting the much less explored water quality during ice-affected stages is equally important as the open-water stage. However, current knowledge is limited, and current models have limited capability for stable ice-cover stage and cannot handle the more complex, dynamic stages (freeze-up and break-up). Climate change and increased anthropogenic activities further complicate this issue, and their impacts need to be assessed for the already sensitive winter river water quality. This research will use field monitoring, lab experiments and numerical simulation to generate new knowledge in the following areas: 1) an improved understanding on the impacts of various river ice stages and forms to river water quality in winter; 2) a novel, comprehensive model/tool that is capable of simultaneously modelling water quality, river ice and hydrodynamics, allowing the feedbacks amongst them to be accounted for; and 3) a science-based, practical guideline for policy makers in protecting and improving water quality in cold region rivers in the context of climate change and anthropogenic activities. This research will have important societal impacts within Canada and abroad. Scientifically, it will expand the current knowledge of river water quality from open-water to the ice seasons. Practically, it will provide an important tool/model and guideline for regulators, policy makers, researchers, consulting firms and industrial users to improve river management in terms of water quality, ice and flow (flooding). This research will also train highly qualified personnel (HQP) of the next generation.