Ice Dam Research Articles

Drone Surveying of Volumetric Ice Growth in a Steep River

Representative ice thickness data is essential for accurate hydraulic modelling, assessing the potential for ice induced floods, understanding environmental conditions during winter and estimation of ice-run forces. Steep rivers exhibit complex freeze-up behaviour combining formation of columnar ice with successions of anchor ice dams to build a complete ice cover, resulting in an ice cover with complex geometry. For such ice covers traditional single point measurements are unrepresentative. Gathering sufficiently distributed measurements for representativeness is labour intensive and at times impossible with hard to access ice. Structure from Motion (SfM) software and low-cost drones have enabled river ice mapping without the need to directly access the ice, thereby reducing both the workload and the potential danger in accessing the ice. In this paper we show how drone-based photography can be used to efficiently survey river ice and how these photographic surveys can be processed into digital elevation models (DEMs) using Structure from Motion. We also show how DEMs of the riverbed, riverbanks and ice conditions can be used to deduce ice volume and ice thickness distributions. A QGIS plugin has been implemented to automate these tasks. These techniques are demonstrated with a survey of a stretch of the river Sokna in Trøndelag, Norway. The survey was carried out during the winter 2020–2021 at various stages of freeze-up using a simple quadcopter with camera. The 500 m stretch of river studied was estimated to have an ice volume of up to 8.6 × 103 m3 (This corresponds to an average ice thickness of ∼67 cm) during the full ice cover condition of which up to 7.2 × 103 m3 (This corresponds to an average ice thickness of ∼57 cm) could be anchor ice. Ground Control Points were measured with an RTK-GPS and used to determine that the accuracy of these ice surface geometry measurements lie between 0.03 and 0.09 m. The ice thicknesses estimated through the SfM methods are on average 18 cm thicker than the manual measurements. Primarily due to the SfM methods inability to detect suspended ice covers. This paper highlights the need to develop better ways of estimating the volume of air beneath suspended ice covers.

A framework for the timing of the final meltwater outbursts from glacial Lake Agassiz-Ojibway

The climate variability of the last deglaciation is often linked to meltwater discharges from the melting of large ice sheets. One of the best examples comes from the drainage of glacial Lake Agassiz-Ojibway (LAO) and its attendant perturbation of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which has long been held responsible for a rapid cooling at ∼8.2 ka. However, recent modeling studies have argued that a large and sustained freshwater flux linked to increased surface melt and ensuing collapse of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) dam may have formed an efficient forcing for this cooling event. Yet, empirical (geological) evidence for a long-lasting meltwater flux is still equivocal while paleoceanographic data show that the freshening of the North Atlantic around the 8.2-ka cold event is characterized by multiple freshwater pulses. Part of this uncertainty arises from the lack of constraints on the structure (number) and timing of meltwater discharges involved in the drainage of LAO, which prevents a detailed assessment of the freshwater forcing mechanisms at work and their potential impact on AMOC—an important issue given the present-day increase in the melting of the cryosphere around the North Atlantic. Here, we review 597 14C ages from marine and continental sediment archives and use 296 of these 14C ages along with LAO geomorphological and varve records to present an integrated framework constraining the timing of LAO meltwater outbursts across the final deglaciation interval. Results show that LAO drained through two distinct events: first subglacially at ∼8.22 cal ka BP and then after the breakup of the ice dam at ∼8.16 cal ka BP. These LAO meltwater discharges are coeval with two important freshwater pulses in North Atlantic sediment cores, with the largest meltwater outburst matching the onset of the 8.2 ka event in Greenland ice cores. These results suggest that, in a fast-changing ocean-climate system influenced by melting ice sheets like that of the late deglaciation, massive and short-lived freshwater injections can potentially have an impact on AMOC.

Strong deep-water formation in Baffin Bay ensured the heavy snowfall that initiated the Last Ice Age in the Northern Hemisphere

The extremely heavy precipitation that initiated the Last Ice Age (the Wisconsin Glaciation in Canada) was caused by a strong and persistent atmospheric low-pressure system centered over the northern Labrador Sea and southern Baffin Bay. This system, called the Labrador Low, was dependent on strong deep-water formation in the northern end of Baffin Bay. The replacement for the sinking deep water consisted of warmer and more saline Irminger Current water that mixed into the northward-flowing West Greenland Current near the center of the Labrador Low. The heavy precipitation in northeastern Canada began after the stratification in Baffin Bay was eliminated by the southward flow of denser Atlantic water through the Nares Strait. This temporary flow began when the oscillating Atlantic Meridional Oceanic Circulation (AMOC) flow reached a maximum greater than today. This sent Atlantic water westward, north of Greenland and through the Nares Strait. Although the extremely heavy snowfall began the Wisconsin Glaciation in Canada, the initiation of the Last Ice Age in Eurasia was a more complex process and was delayed by about 4,000 years by formation of the Hudson Strait ice dam.

Simulation of the ice thickness of the Heilongjiang River and application of SD models to a river ice model

Abstract The Heilongjiang River is a transboundary river between China and Russia, which often experiences ice dams that can trigger spring floods and significant damages in the region. Owing to insufficient data, no river ice model is applicable for the Heilongjiang River. Therefore, a river ice thickness model based on continuous meteorological data and river ice data at the Mohe Station located in the upper reach of the Heilongjiang River was proposed. Specifically, the proposed model was based on physical river ice processes and the Russian empirical theory. System dynamic models were applied to assess the proposed model. The performance of the river ice model was evaluated using root-mean-square error (RMSE), coefficient of determination (R2), and Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE). Subsequently, sensitivity analyses of the model parameters through Latin hypercube sampling and uncertainty analyses of input variables were conducted. Results show that the formation of ice starts 10 days after the air temperature reaches below 0 °C. The maximum ice thickness occurs 10 days after the atmospheric temperature reaches the minimum. Ice starts to melt after the highest temperature is greater than 0 °C. The R2 of ice thickness in the middle of river (ITMR) and ice thickness at the riverside (ITRS) are 0.67 and 0.69, respectively; the RMSEs of ITMR and ITRS are 6.50 and 6.84, respectively; and the NSEs of ITMR and ITRS are 0.72 and 0.70, respectively. Sensitivity analyses show that ice growth and ice melt are sensitive to the air temperature characterizing the thermal state. Uncertainty analyses show temperature has the greatest effect on river ice.

The role of the formation and destruction of the Hudson Strait glacial ice dam in changes of climate and sea level during the Last Interglacial-Glacial transition

During the Last interglacial period of constant sea level, large coral reefs formed on the tectonically rising island of Barbados, and a broad lagoon with a small barrier reef formed at the Cane Vale site. The constant sea level was ended by a rapid glaciation, causing a fall of world sea level of 2.4 m, as measured by surveys of features associated with breaking waves on Barbados. The fall began about 120 ka BP, and lasted roughly 400 years, according to a lake pollen record from western Europe. That rapid fall was terminated at a wave-cut step on Barbados and with a quite small reversal in falling sea level. The rise was caused by rapid melting of the marine-based Barents Sea ice dome and other ice masses, due to a restored strong Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) flow. The sea level fall then resumed until it was halted at a wave-cut step at a world sea level 12.3 m below the last interglacial level, as recorded at the University of the West Indies site on Barbados. Following the erosion of that second step, a zonal northern North Atlantic circulation prevailed, causing a glacial ice-volume decrease and rise in sea level of 3.8 m. These two sea level fall reversals were caused respectively by the formation and destruction of a Hudson Strait ice dam and the resulting increase and much later decrease in the rate of AMOC flow.

Large leakage incident in a Norwegian concrete faced rockfill dam due to ice build up

Aursjø dam is a concrete faced rockfill dam (CFRD) in central Norway built between 1950 and 1958 and owned by Statkraft. The dam was originally constructed with an upstream face consisting of wooden planks, which acted as the impermeable element of the dam. The dam underwent a large rehabilitation between 2005 and 2006, when the wooden planks were replaced with a reinforced-concrete slab. In 2017 a large leakage event occurred at the dam and at its peak was estimated to be up to 600 l/s. This paper covers the incident itself including the emergency response, the investigation into the cause of the high leakage, the potential effect on dam safety, and finally the recommended measures implemented at the dam. During the detailed investigation the cause of the leakage was identified as the release of water after an ice dam within the dam body burst. Ice build-up and subsequent rapid release of water is not an unusual occurrence at rockfill dams in Norway and there are examples where the same phenomena has occurred at other dams.

Evolutionary inferences from the sedimentary deposits of Lake LH73, Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica

Lakes from the coastal oasis of Larsemann Hills respond to changes in regional climate. They are mainly influenced by the ice-sheet dynamics and regional eustatic variation based on their proximity to either of them or both. The sedimentary sequences of the ice-free regions of Antarctica offer unique climate records (lake sediment deposits). Here, we present the evolution of a lake reconstructed from its sedimentary sequence. A 60 cm long radiocarbon-dated sediment core spanning the last 11.8 kyr from Lake LH73 located in Broknes Peninsula of Larsemann Hills is studied for grain size fractions, magnetic susceptibility, and diatom abundance. Based on the diatom and grain fraction data, it is inferred that the lake persisted as a proglacial lake during the early-Holocene (11.8 to 7.2 ky BP) dammed by ice-sheet towards the south. The lake level was at least 3 m higher than the present level (4 m) as inferred from the diatom transfer function owing to the presence of ice dam. The retreat of the ice-sheet and the collapse of the ice dam between 7.2 and 7 ky BP resulted in the lake transitioning to an isolated lake with the lake level attaining current level (4 m). As a consequence, the catchment area increased and the lake received meltwater from the snowbanks hence largely modulating the sedimentary process. The absence of glacial clay from 5 ky BP suggests that the lake was cut-off from the glacial input. The appearance of diatom at ~ 8.6 ky BP indicates the establishment of optimal condition for productivity in the lake ecosystem. Stauroforma inermis and Plannothidium quadripunctatum (Psammothidium abundans) dominates between 7 ky BP till present (11.8 to 7 ky BP), responding to lake level variation. Ice-sheet retrieval and ablation led to transition of proglacial-to-isolated lake leading to shallowing of the lake as reflected in diatom assemblage changes.

On Ice Jam Formation in the Middle Lena

Ice jams are an integral part of the ice regime of the rivers of the Lena basin, and reach the greatest scales here [1]. Huge masses of ice moving downstream form hummock accumulations, clog the river bed and form ice dams. The nature of ice jams is determined by the conditions of flood formation. The height of the ice-jam water levels varies from year to year, significantly changing both the length of the rivers, and on the territory. Prolonged ice jams embracing large areas of the river during the spring breakup of ice in the Lena cause such natural hazards as flooding. Inhabited localities along the banks of the river are flooded. Catastrophic floods on northern rivers are one of the types of natural emergencies that pose a threat to the life of the population, as well as they cause great environmental and economic damage.Observation data at hydrometeorological stations and posts do not fully reflect the processes of jamming on rivers [2]. An analysis of the ice and the level regime of the middle reaches of the Lena River in the area of Lensk in this paper is conducted according to the perennial observations of Yakut management on hydrometeorology and monitoring of environment of Rosgidromet of Russia. The work was carried out in order to determine the values of a number of factors that lead to the critical levels at the sites of ice jams.Study area is the average flow of the river Lena.

Hudson Strait ice dam collapse: An explanation for the onset of the Younger Dryas cold climate in Europe in only one year

The Younger Dryas cold climate event in Europe began abruptly at about 12,679 years BP. The abruptness of the onset was caused by the rapid collapse of a dynamic ice dam that had existed because of ice stream flow across the east end of Hudson Strait in northern Canada. The resulting flood of icebergs into the southern half of the Northern Gyre adjacent to the Gulf Stream converted western Europe’s mild climate to an arctic climate. The collapse event was caused by the last large accumulation of glacial ice in the thick ice dome of Hudson Bay. The accumulation created a pressure gradient that forced an ice stream flow eastward in Hudson Strait. A highly saline sub-glacial lake had formed earlier in the western part of the strait. The ice stream flow entrained saline lake water in a network of channels at the seabed between the lake and the ice dam, melting and extending the network eventually to and beneath the ice dam. This detached much of the ice dam from its frozen bed and caused its catastrophic collapse and the onset of the Younger Dryas in only one year.

Glacier-Related Hazards Along the International Karakoram Highway: Status and Future Perspectives

The China–Pakistan international Karakoram Highway passes through the core area of the “Karakoram Anomaly,” whose glaciers have maintained or increased their mass during a period when most glaciers worldwide have receded. We synthesized the literature and used remote-sensing techniques to review the types, distribution, characteristics, causes and frequency of major glacial hazards along the Karakoram Highway. We found that the glacier-related hazards could be divided into direct and indirect hazards, including glacier surges, glacial lake outburst floods, and glacial floods, which are concentrated in East Pamir and the Hunza River Basin. In the past 100 years, hazards from glaciers surges and glacial floods only occurred once and twice, respectively, which appear suddenly, with the hazard-causing process being short-lived and occurring mainly in the summer. Glacial lake outburst floods mainly occur in the spring and summer in the Hunza River Basin. Among these, ice-dammed lakes have the highest frequency of flooding, their formation and outbursts being closely related to the sudden advancement of surge-type glaciers. Under the background of global climate warming, we speculate that the glacier surge cycle may shorten and the frequency of the formation and outbursts in the glacial lakes may increase. In the future, we should combine models and new field observations to simulate, and deepen our understanding of the physical mechanisms of different glacier-related hazards. In particular, on-site monitoring should be carried out, to include the evolution of glaciers subglacial hydrological systems, the thermal state at the base of the glaciers, and the opening and closing of drainage channels at the base of the ice dams.

Risk assessment of ice dams for water diversion projects based on fuzzy fault trees

Ice dams are among the important risks affecting the operational safety and water conveyance efficiency of water diversion projects in northern China. However, no evaluation indicator system for ice dam risk assessment of water diversion projects has been proposed. Therefore, in this paper, based on the formation mechanism of ice dams, the risk assessment indicator system and the possibility calculation model of ice dams were both proposed for water diversion projects based on the fuzzy fault tree analysis method. The ice dam risk fault tree constructed in this study mainly includes three aspects: ice production, ice transport, and ice submergence conditions. Eighteen basic risk indicators were identified, and 72 minimum cut sets were obtained by using the mountain climb method. Eight risk indicators were determined as the key risk indicators for ice dams, including meteorological conditions, narrowed cross section, sluice incident, erroneous scheduling judgment, ice cover influence, flat bed slope, control structures, and ice flow resistance of piers. Then, the canal from the Fenzhuanghe sluice to the Beijumahe sluice of the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project was taken as the research object. Combined with the expert scoring method, the ice dam risk probability of the canal was determined to be 0.2029 × 10−2, which was defined as a level III risk, which is an occasionally occurring risk. The study results can support ice dam risk prevention and canal system operation in winter for water diversion projects.

Floods in Siberia: geographical and statistical analysis for the period of climate change

In Siberia, floods are one of dangerous natural disaster. The danger of floods varies under the climatic and anthropogenic changes, as well as socio-economic development. The aim was to study the current position of problems associated with flood hazard. A key to understanding the flood situation is geographical and statistical analysis of the floods for the period of climate change (1985-2019). Such analyzes addresses the following aspects: study of flood genesis and recurrence, the severity of the impact for floods of different genesis; maxima runoff analysis as the principal cause of floods; analysis of the spatial distribution of settlements vulnerable to flooding; analysis of the ice jams and ice dams as a specific natural factor causing the floods in Siberia; assessment of the degree of danger, and identification of areas with the different integral flood danger. In Siberia, more than 1400 settlements are flooded at regular intervals. Most of them are concentrated in the southern, most developed territories in the Ob, Tom and Yeniseiy basins. In Siberia, rainfall, mixed (from snow melting with rainfall) and ice-dam floods are the most dangerous. They have the highest recurrence and severity of the impact. The greatest floods risk is in the most populated and economically developed southern regions within the Ob, Lena and Yenisey rivers and Lake Baikal basins. Territories with the highest risk of floods were determined. For the Baikal region, one of the most developed territories of Siberia, the flood hazard was determined for all administrative districts. Flood hazard maps for Siberian regions can be the basis for developing the flood adaptation strategies.

A huge flood in the Fraser River valley, British Columbia, near the Pleistocene Termination

Near the Pleistocene Termination, a glacier-dammed lake in central British Columbia suddenly drained to the south along the Fraser River valley. Floodwater travelled 330 km down the valley to Hope, British Columbia, and from there to the west into the Salish Sea near Vancouver. The flood was caused by the failure of an ice dam formed by the terminus of glaciers flowing from the central Coast Mountains across the British Columbia Interior Plateau. The ice dam impounded several hundred cubic kilometres of water to a maximum elevation of about 810 m asl (above sea level); at its maximum, the lake at the ice dam was over 250 m deep. Geomorphic and sedimentary evidence for the flood includes streamlined boulder-strewn bars, gravel dune fields, and terraces sloping up Fraser and lowermost Thompson valleys, opposite the present direction of river flow. The gravel bars and flood terraces are underlain by sheets of massive to poorly sorted gravel containing large boulders and rip-up clasts of silt and till. Shortly after the flood, a landslide near the northern margin of the former glacier dam impounded water to an elevation of about 550 m asl. This lake emptied due to overflow and incision of the landslide dam. The outburst flood from glacial Lake Fraser and the subsequent draining of the landslide-dammed lake deeply incised the older sediment fill in Fraser Valley and transported much of this sediment into the proto-Salish Sea west of Vancouver, British Columbia and Bellingham, Washington. TCN ages on flood-transported boulders at three localities along the flood path agree with radiocarbon ages on inferred flood layers in ODP cores collected from Saanich Inlet, a fiord on southern Vancouver Island, 80 km south-southwest of Vancouver.

Draining and filling of ice-dammed lakes at the terminus of surge-type Dań Zhùr (Donjek) Glacier, Yukon, Canada

Recent surges of Dań Zhùr (Donjek) Glacier have formed lakes at the glacier terminus that have drained catastrophically, resulting in hazards to people and infrastructure downstream. Here we use air photos and satellite imagery to describe lake formation, and the timing of filling and draining, since the 1930s. Between the 1930s and late 1980s, lakes were typically small (<0.6 km2), took many years to form after a surge event, and drained slowly as they were displaced by the glacier advancing in the next surge. However, since 1993, the lakes have become larger (>1 km2) and drain rapidly through or under the glacier by breaking a terminal ice dam. For the past two surges, since 2001, the lakes formed during or immediately after a surge in an increasingly larger basin between the Neoglacial maximum moraine and an increasingly smaller maximum terminus extent. Most recently, the 2012–2014 surge created a lake that drained in summer 2017, refilled, and drained again in both summer 2018 and summer 2019. The 2019 lake was 2.2 km2, the largest on record, and drained entirely within 2 days. While a lake is unlikely to form again before the next expected surge in the mid-2020s, future surges of Dań Zhùr Glacier are still likely to create terminal lakes, necessitating continued monitoring for surge activity and lake formation.

Perito Moreno Glacier dam rupture - A recurrent natural experiment to probe solid-earth elasticity

The Southern Patagonian Icefield is located in an area with a complex tectonic-rheological structure and is affected by intense glacial-isostatic adjustment and rapid ice retreat. Geodetic observations of loading effects provide information on earth structure. Perito Moreno Glacier repeatedly dams the Brazo Rico and Brazo Sur branches of Lago Argentino. The rupture of the ice dam applies an intense hydrological load signal which results in an elastic response of the solid earth. We present a modelling procedure to predict loading effects in response to water-level changes in Brazo Rico. The output is compared with site displacements observed by GNSS during the 2016 rupture event. Our results show that water-level changes in Brazo Rico exceeding 5 m produce vertical deformations detectable with GNSS observations. A geodetic observation of loading effects at magnitudes similar to those of the maximum historic event in 1956 could provide meaningful constraints on elastic earth models. We discuss consequences for the determination of accurate deformation rates, implications for our understanding of the intense uplift observed at the Southern Patagonian Icefield, and requirements and prospects for obtaining geodetic observations of the loading effects of future rupture events.

An analysis of instabilities and limit cycles in glacier-dammed reservoirs

Abstract. Glacier lake outburst floods are common glacial hazards around the world. How big such floods can become (either in terms of peak discharge or in terms of total volume released) depends on how they are initiated: what causes the runaway enlargement of a subglacial or other conduit to start the flood, and how big can the lake get before that point is reached? Here we investigate how the spontaneous channelization of a linked-cavity drainage system can control the onset of floods. In agreement with previous work, we show that floods only occur in a band of water throughput rates in which steady reservoir drainage is unstable, and we identify stabilizing mechanisms that allow steady drainage of an ice-dammed reservoir. We also show how stable limit cycle solutions emerge from the instability and identify parameter regimes in which the resulting floods cause flotation of the ice dam. These floods are likely to be initiated by flotation rather than the unstable enlargement of a distributed drainage system.

Deglacierization of a Marginal Basin and Implications for Outburst Floods, Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska

Suicide Basin is a partly glacierized marginal basin of Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska, that has released glacier lake outburst floods (GLOFs) annually since 2011. The floods cause inundation and erosion in the Mendenhall Valley, impacting homes and other infrastructure. Here, we utilize in-situ and remote sensing data to assess the recent evolution and current state of Suicide Basin. We focus on the 2018 and 2019 melt seasons, during which we collected most of our data, partly using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). To provide longer-term context, we analyze DEMs collected since 2006 and model glacier surface mass balance over the 2006-2019 period. During the 2018 and 2019 outburst flood events, Suicide Basin released 30 million m3 of water within approximately 4 to 5 days. Since lake drainage was partial in both years, these 30 million m3 represent only a fraction (60%) of the basin's total storage capacity. In contrast to previous years, subglacial drainage was preceded by supraglacial outflow over the ice dam, which lasted ~1 day in 2018 and 6 days in 2019. Two large calving events occurred in 2018 and 2019, with submerged ice breaking off the main glacier during lake filling, thereby increasing the basin's storage capacity. In 2018, the floating ice in the basin was 36 m thick on average. In 2019, ice thickness was 29 m, suggesting rapid decay of the ice tongue despite increasing ice inflow from Mendenhall Glacier. The ice dam at the basin entrance thinned by more than 5 m per year from 2018 to 2019, which is approximately double the rate of the reference period 2006-2018. While ice dam thinning reduces water storage capacity in the basin, that capacity is increased by declining ice volume in the basin and longitudinal lake expansion, with the latter process challenging to predict. The potential for premature drainage onset, intermittent drainage decelerations, and early drainage termination further complicates prediction of future GLOF events.

Geographical analysis of river flood hazard in Siberia

ABSTRACTSiberia is a huge and relatively sparsely populated territory in the centre of Eurasia with a harsh climate and diverse flow formation conditions. Nevertheless, it is characterized by a high flood hazard, as most of the settlements and industrial centres are located along river banks. The flood hazard can vary across space and time against a background of climatic and anthropogenic changes, as well as socio-economic factors. We carried out a geographical analysis of floods as a tool to identify the present status of flood hazard in Siberia. The analysis included: analysis of flood hazard during a period of climatic change (1985–2016); analysis of ice jams and ice dams as a specific natural factor causing floods; and identification of areas with different flood hazards using multi-scale mapping. Rainfall floods, mixed floods (due to rainfall and snowmelt) and floods resulting from ice dams are the most dangerous in Siberia. They have the highest rate of recurrence, strength of impact, and number of fatalities and displaced people. The locations of areas with different flood hazards were identified by multi-scale mapping. The highest flood hazard in Siberia is in the most populated and economically developed southern regions along the Ob, Lena, Yenisei rivers and in the Lake Baikal basin. In areas with a high flood hazard, complex measures are needed, taking into account regional peculiarities.

Finding of a putative Lake Baikal endemic, Lindavia minuta, in distant lakes near the Arctic pole in Yakutia (Russia)

In the northern lakes of Yakutia, Vorota and Labynkyr, which are 2100 kilometres northeast of Lake Baikal, we found a putative Lake Baikal endemic, Lindavia minuta. Morphological analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling showed that L. minuta populations from Yakutian and Transbaikalian lakes belong to the same (morpho) species. The possible dispersal history is discussed. The most probable hypothesis is that L. minuta was present in the Baikal basin during several Pleistocene glaciation cycles, and since Lake Baikal was previously connected to the River Lena, it is possible that there was a stable population of this species in the river, and that the river carried some cells to other suitable habitats. During glaciated periods, L. minuta could also have survived for longer periods in several ice dam lakes and possibly dispersed further north-east to the lakes in Yakutia.

A New Integrated Scheme for Urban Road Traffic Flood Control Using Liquid Air Spray/Vaporization Technology

With the rapid progress of urbanization, cities’ demands for traffic flood control are steadily on the increase, and people are gradually paying more attention to traffic safety and environmental issues. Considering the considerable convenience and service ability of liquid air and corresponding products, people have begun to switch to using liquid air as an emergency coolant. However, this air’s cryogenic operation and vigorous vaporization expansion restricts its widespread application. Our study explores innovative applications based on liquid air spray/evaporation icing and natural melting, which can be applied to urban flood protection. This study also includes a brief introduction to the nature of liquid air and road icing, a conceptual design based on liquid air flash evaporation (for urban flood protection), and the modeling and solving of natural road ice melting. This paper introduces many innovative key technologies, which include the rapid solidification of floods to form emergency ice dams or diversion channels and the application of liquid air spray to form icy roads for the temporary passage of small cars or pickup trucks. Additionally, the economic estimations are performed by using downtown traffic flood control in Wuhan as an example to showcase our innovative scheme for applying liquid air spray/vaporization for urban traffic flooding control, which is practical, pollution free, and cost effective. Our innovative scheme will be promising for flood control in modern cities.