Articles | Volume 18, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4177-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4177-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
18 Sep 2024
Research article |
| 18 Sep 2024
| 18 Sep 2024
Measurements of frazil ice flocs in rivers
Chuankang Pei
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1H9, Canada
Jiaqi Yang
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1H9, Canada
Yuntong She
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1H9, Canada
Mark Loewen
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1H9, Canada
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Tadros R. Ghobrial and Mark R. Loewen
The Cryosphere, 15, 49–67, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-49-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-49-2021, 2021
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Anchor ice typically forms on riverbeds during freeze-up and can alter the river ice regime. Most of the knowledge on anchor ice mechanisms has been attributed to lab experiments. This study presents for the first time insights into anchor ice initiation, growth, and release in rivers using an underwater camera system. Three stages of growth and modes of release have been identified. These results will improve modelling capabilities in predicting the effect of anchor ice on river ice regimes.
Christopher C. Schneck, Tadros R. Ghobrial, and Mark R. Loewen
The Cryosphere, 13, 2751–2769, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2751-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2751-2019, 2019
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Properties of suspended frazil ice and flocs in water of different salinities were measured in the lab using high-resolution images. It was found that freshwater frazil particles and flocs were larger than in saline water by ~13 % and 75 %, respectively. Both the growth rate of particles and the porosity of flocs decreased with salinity and ranged between 0.174 and 0.024 mm min−1 and 86 % and 75 % for freshwater and 35 ‰ saline water, respectively.
Related subject area
Discipline: Other | Subject: Freshwater Ice
Assessment of the impact of dam reservoirs on river ice cover – an example from the Carpathians (central Europe)
Forward modelling of synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) backscatter during lake ice melt conditions using the Snow Microwave Radiative Transfer (SMRT) model
A comparison of constant false alarm rate object detection algorithms for iceberg identification in L- and C-band SAR imagery of the Labrador Sea
Fusion of Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager and Geostationary Ocean Color Imager for hourly monitoring surface morphology of lake ice with high resolution in Chagan Lake of Northeast China
Mechanisms and effects of under-ice warming water in Ngoring Lake of Qinghai–Tibet Plateau
Tricentennial trends in spring ice break-ups on three rivers in northern Europe
Climate warming shortens ice durations and alters freeze and break-up patterns in Swedish water bodies
Sunlight penetration dominates the thermal regime and energetics of a shallow ice-covered lake in arid climate
Dam type and lake location characterize ice-marginal lake area change in Alaska and NW Canada between 1984 and 2019
River ice phenology and thickness from satellite altimetry: potential for ice bridge road operation and climate studies
Giant ice rings in southern Baikal: multi-satellite data help to study ice cover dynamics and eddies under ice
Ice roughness estimation via remotely piloted aircraft and photogrammetry
Analyses of Peace River Shallow Water Ice Profiling Sonar data and their implications for the roles played by frazil ice and in situ anchor ice growth in a freezing river
Creep and fracture of warm columnar freshwater ice
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Observation-derived ice growth curves show patterns and trends in maximum ice thickness and safe travel duration of Alaskan lakes and rivers
Maksymilian Fukś
The Cryosphere, 18, 2509–2529, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2509-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2509-2024, 2024
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The Cryosphere, 18, 869–888, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-869-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-869-2024, 2024
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Laust Færch, Wolfgang Dierking, Nick Hughes, and Anthony P. Doulgeris
The Cryosphere, 17, 5335–5355, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-5335-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-5335-2023, 2023
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Icebergs in open water are a risk to maritime traffic. We have compared six different constant false alarm rate (CFAR) detectors on overlapping C- and L-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images for the detection of icebergs in open water, with a Sentinel-2 image used for validation. The results revealed that L-band gives a slight advantage over C-band, depending on which detector is used. Additionally, the accuracy of all detectors decreased rapidly as the iceberg size decreased.
Qian Yang, Xiaoguang Shi, Weibang Li, Kaishan Song, Zhijun Li, Xiaohua Hao, Fei Xie, Nan Lin, Zhidan Wen, Chong Fang, and Ge Liu
The Cryosphere, 17, 959–975, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-959-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-959-2023, 2023
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A large-scale linear structure has repeatedly appeared on satellite images of Chagan Lake in winter, which was further verified as being ice ridges in the field investigation. We extracted the length and the angle of the ice ridges from multi-source remote sensing images. The average length was 21 141.57 ± 68.36 m. The average azimuth angle was 335.48° 141.57 ± 0.23°. The evolution of surface morphology is closely associated with air temperature, wind, and shoreline geometry.
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The Cryosphere, 16, 3635–3648, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3635-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3635-2022, 2022
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The under-ice water temperature of Ngoring Lake has been rising based on in situ observations. We obtained results showing that strong downward shortwave radiation is the main meteorological factor, and precipitation, wind speed, downward longwave radiation, air temperature, ice albedo, and ice extinction coefficient have an impact on the range and rate of lake temperature rise. Once the ice breaks, the lake body releases more energy than other lakes, whose water temperature remains horizontal.
Stefan Norrgård and Samuli Helama
The Cryosphere, 16, 2881–2898, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2881-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2881-2022, 2022
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We examined changes in the dates of ice break-ups in three Finnish rivers since the 1700s. The analyses show that ice break-ups nowadays occur earlier in spring than in previous centuries. The changes are pronounced in the south, and both rivers had their first recorded years without a complete ice cover in the 21st century. These events occurred during exceptionally warm winters and show that climate extremes affect the river-ice regime in southwest Finland differently than in the north.
Sofia Hallerbäck, Laurie S. Huning, Charlotte Love, Magnus Persson, Katarina Stensen, David Gustafsson, and Amir AghaKouchak
The Cryosphere, 16, 2493–2503, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2493-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2493-2022, 2022
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Wenfeng Huang, Wen Zhao, Cheng Zhang, Matti Leppäranta, Zhijun Li, Rui Li, and Zhanjun Lin
The Cryosphere, 16, 1793–1806, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1793-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1793-2022, 2022
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Thermal regimes of seasonally ice-covered lakes in an arid region like Central Asia are not well constrained despite the unique climate. We observed annual and seasonal dynamics of thermal stratification and energetics in a shallow arid-region lake. Strong penetrated solar radiation and high water-to-ice heat flux are the predominant components in water heat balance. The under-ice stratification and convection are jointly governed by the radiative penetration and salt rejection during freezing.
Brianna Rick, Daniel McGrath, William Armstrong, and Scott W. McCoy
The Cryosphere, 16, 297–314, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-297-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-297-2022, 2022
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Glacial lakes impact societies as both resources and hazards. Lakes form, grow, and drain as glaciers thin and retreat, and understanding lake evolution is a critical first step in assessing their hazard potential. We map glacial lakes in Alaska between 1984 and 2019. Overall, lakes grew in number and area, though lakes with different damming material (ice, moraine, bedrock) behaved differently. Namely, ice-dammed lakes decreased in number and area, a trend lost if dam type is not considered.
Elena Zakharova, Svetlana Agafonova, Claude Duguay, Natalia Frolova, and Alexei Kouraev
The Cryosphere, 15, 5387–5407, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5387-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5387-2021, 2021
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Alexei V. Kouraev, Elena A. Zakharova, Andrey G. Kostianoy, Mikhail N. Shimaraev, Lev V. Desinov, Evgeny A. Petrov, Nicholas M. J. Hall, Frédérique Rémy, and Andrey Ya. Suknev
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James Ehrman, Shawn Clark, and Alexander Wall
The Cryosphere, 15, 4031–4046, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4031-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4031-2021, 2021
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This research proposes and tests new methods for the estimation of the surface roughness of newly formed river ice covers. The hypothesis sought to determine if surface ice roughness was indicative of the subsurface. Ice roughness has consequences for winter flow characteristics of rivers and can greatly impact river ice jams. Remotely piloted aircraft and photogrammetry were used, and good correlation was found between the observed surface ice roughness and estimated subsurface ice roughness.
John R. Marko and David R. Topham
The Cryosphere, 15, 2473–2489, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2473-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2473-2021, 2021
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Acoustic backscattering data from Peace River frazil events are interpreted to develop a quantitative model of interactions between ice particles in the water column and riverbed ice layers. Two generic behaviours, evident in observed time variability, are linked to differences in the relative stability of in situ anchor ice layers which develop at the beginning of each frazil interval and are determined by cooling rates. Changes in these layers are shown to control water column frazil content.
Iman E. Gharamti, John P. Dempsey, Arttu Polojärvi, and Jukka Tuhkuri
The Cryosphere, 15, 2401–2413, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2401-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2401-2021, 2021
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We study the creep and fracture behavior of 3 m × 6 m floating edge-cracked rectangular plates of warm columnar freshwater S2 ice under creep/cyclic-recovery loading and monotonic loading to fracture. Under the testing conditions, the ice response was elastic–viscoplastic; no significant viscoelasticity or major recovery was detected. There was no clear effect of the creep/cyclic loading on the fracture properties: failure load and crack opening displacements at crack growth initiation.
Andrew M. W. Newton and Donal J. Mullan
The Cryosphere, 15, 2211–2234, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2211-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2211-2021, 2021
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This paper investigates changes in the dates of ice freeze-up and breakup for 678 Northern Hemisphere lakes and rivers from 1931–2005. From 3510 time series, the results show that breakup dates have gradually occurred earlier through time, whilst freeze-up trends have tended to be significantly more variable. These data combined show that the number of annual open-water days has increased through time for most sites, with the magnitude of change at its largest in more recent years.
Ines Spangenberg, Pier Paul Overduin, Ellen Damm, Ingeborg Bussmann, Hanno Meyer, Susanne Liebner, Michael Angelopoulos, Boris K. Biskaborn, Mikhail N. Grigoriev, and Guido Grosse
The Cryosphere, 15, 1607–1625, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1607-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1607-2021, 2021
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Thermokarst lakes are common on ice-rich permafrost. Many studies have shown that they are sources of methane to the atmosphere. Although they are usually covered by ice, little is known about what happens to methane in winter. We studied how much methane is contained in the ice of a thermokarst lake, a thermokarst lagoon and offshore. Methane concentrations differed strongly, depending on water body type. Microbes can also oxidize methane in ice and lower the concentrations during winter.
Tadros R. Ghobrial and Mark R. Loewen
The Cryosphere, 15, 49–67, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-49-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-49-2021, 2021
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Anchor ice typically forms on riverbeds during freeze-up and can alter the river ice regime. Most of the knowledge on anchor ice mechanisms has been attributed to lab experiments. This study presents for the first time insights into anchor ice initiation, growth, and release in rivers using an underwater camera system. Three stages of growth and modes of release have been identified. These results will improve modelling capabilities in predicting the effect of anchor ice on river ice regimes.
Anna Chesnokova, Michel Baraër, and Émilie Bouchard
The Cryosphere, 14, 4145–4164, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4145-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4145-2020, 2020
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In the context of a ubiquitous increase in winter discharge in cold regions, our results show that icing formations can help overcome the lack of direct observations in these remote environments and provide new insights into winter runoff generation. The multi-technique approach used in this study provided important information about the water sources active during the winter season in the headwaters of glacierized catchments.
Qian Yang, Kaishan Song, Xiaohua Hao, Zhidan Wen, Yue Tan, and Weibang Li
The Cryosphere, 14, 3581–3593, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3581-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3581-2020, 2020
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Using daily ice records of 156 hydrological stations across Songhua River Basin, we examined the spatial variability in the river ice phenology and river ice thickness from 2010 to 2015 and explored the role of snow depth and air temperature on the ice thickness. Snow cover correlated with ice thickness significantly and positively when the freshwater was completely frozen. Cumulative air temperature of freezing provides a better predictor than the air temperature for ice thickness modeling.
Christopher D. Arp, Jessica E. Cherry, Dana R. N. Brown, Allen C. Bondurant, and Karen L. Endres
The Cryosphere, 14, 3595–3609, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3595-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3595-2020, 2020
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River and lake ice thickens at varying rates geographically and from year to year. We took a closer look at ice growth across a large geographic region experiencing rapid climate change, the State of Alaska, USA. Slower ice growth was most pronounced in northern Alaskan lakes over the last 60 years. Western and interior Alaska ice showed more variability in thickness and safe travel duration. This analysis provides a comprehensive evaluation of changing freshwater ice in Alaska.
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Short summary
Frazil flocs are aggregates of frazil ice particles that form in supercooled water. As they grow, they rise to the river surface, contributing to ice cover formation. We measured the properties of frazil flocs in rivers for the first time using underwater imaging. We found that the floc size distributions follow a lognormal distribution and mean floc size decreases linearly as the local Reynolds number increases. Floc volume concentration has a power law correlation with the relative depth.
Frazil flocs are aggregates of frazil ice particles that form in supercooled water. As they...
