Simulation of Growth and Decay of River Ice Cover

Abstract

A numerical model for simulating thermal‐ice conditions in a natural river is developed with emphasis on its application to the growth and decay of the ice cover. The model treats the river as a coupled air‐ice‐water‐bed system taking into consideration the heat exchanges at all interfaces in the system. The heat conduction in the ice cover is represented by a one‐dimensional, quasi‐steady state approximation. The temperature distribution in the water is formulated by the longitudinal dispersion equation. The model is applied to a 28‐mile reach of the St. Lawrence River between Iroquois Dam and the Moses‐Saunders Power Dam. Numerical results show good agreement with field data in both the ice thickness and the break‐up dates.