Abstract
The Slave River is a northern river in Canada, with ice being an important component of its flow regime for at least half of the year. During the spring breakup period, ice jams and ice-jam flooding can occur in the Slave River Delta, which is of benefit for the replenishment of moisture and sediment required to maintain the ecological integrity of the delta. To better understand the ice jam processes that lead to flooding, as well as the replenishment of the delta, the one-dimensional hydraulic river ice model RIVICE was implemented to simulate and explore ice jam formation in the Slave River Delta. Incoming ice volume, a crucial input parameter for RIVICE, was determined by the novel approach of using MODIS space-born remote sensing imagery. Space-borne and air-borne remote sensing data were used to parameterize the upstream ice volume available for ice jamming. Gauged data was used to complement modeling calibration and validation. HEC-RAS, another one-dimensional hydrodynamic model, was used to determine ice volumes required for equilibrium jams and the upper limit of ice volume that a jam can sustain, as well as being used as a threshold for the volumes estimated by the dynamic ice jam simulations using RIVICE. Parameter sensitivity analysis shows that morphological and hydraulic properties have great impacts on the ice jam length and water depth in the Slave River Delta.
Highlights
In cold regions, the ice regime of rivers can be divided into three main phases during the winter: river freeze-up, continuous solid ice cover, and ice cover breakup
We present a novel technique in which remote sensing datasets are applied to calculating the extent of the ice cover and, using an empirical equation to estimate ice thicknesses (h) as a function of both Cumulative Freezing Degree Days (CFDD)
The excellent agreement between modeling results and measurement readings endorses the reliability of the river ice model RIVICE
Summary
The ice regime of rivers can be divided into three main phases during the winter: river freeze-up, continuous solid ice cover, and ice cover breakup. Rubble ice in rivers can pose threats to infrastructure adjacent to the river via jamming and subsequent flooding. Some ecosystems, inland deltas (e.g., the Slave River Delta), rely on ice jam flooding for replenishment of moisture and sediment. One of the main contributions of flow in the. Slave River is from the Peace River. Ice jam development can be separated into three phases: formation, extension, and release. Studying ice jam processes can help extend our understanding of flooding and drying behaviors in river deltas such as the Slave River Delta. Ice jams have rough undersides, which increase flow resistance leading to backwater effects.
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