Recent Progress in River Ice Engineering Research at CRREL

Abstract

This paper reviews and summarizes the results of the research and development efforts in river ice engineering conducted at the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory over the past decade and their applications to the Civil Works mission of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Topics covered include winter operation of navigation projects on the major northern U.S. waterways; river ice processes, namely ice transport and accumulation; ice jam documentation, prediction, and mitigation; and bed and bank erosion due to ice. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of future challenges and areas of needed research in river ice engineering.