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A Study of Complex River Ice Processes in an Urban Reach of the North Saskatchewan River

  • Author / Creator
    Howley, Rhodri
  • Northern rivers are affected by river ice processes for a significant portion of the year. This poses many challenges and opportunities to river ice engineers and geoscientists. Since 2009, several researchers have conducted a variety of river ice studies on the North Saskatchewan River through Edmonton, Alberta. This has resulted in a relatively comprehensive dataset which includes meteorological, hydrometric and river ice data. Analyses of these data have produced interesting results which are evidence of a highly complex ice regime. The conditions preceding and during freeze-up and break-up are highly variable.

    The University of Alberta’s River1D Ice Process model is used to investigate these phenomena by simulating the 2009-10 and 2010-11 winter seasons. The 29 km long study reach includes multiple bridging locations and the discharge from the Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant (GBWTP). Simulation results are compared to the observed water surface elevation, ice front progression, surface pan concentration, border ice fraction, ice thickness, suspended frazil concentration, and water temperature data measured at several locations along the reach. Strong agreement between the observed and simulated data was achieved for an unprecedented number of river ice variables. The model can be sued as the foundation for future river ice studies in Edmonton and to help address specific problems or challenges that have been observed within the study reach.

  • Subjects / Keywords
  • Graduation date
    Spring 2021
  • Type of Item
    Thesis
  • Degree
    Master of Science
  • DOI
    https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-zfs8-gp18
  • License
    This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.