River Ice Breakup

Book excerpt: The breakup of a river ice cover can be both fascinating and perilous, owing to ever-changing ice conditions and dynamic processes that sometimes lead to extreme flood events caused by ice jams. Though much progress has been made recently in the study of ice jams, less has been achieved on the more general, and more complex, problem of how to predict the entire breakup process, from the first ice movement to the last ice effect on river stage. This type of knowledge is essential to determining when and where ice jam threats may develop and when they may release and generate steep flood waves that can trigger ice runs and jamming further downstream. In turn, such understanding is invaluable to natural hazard reduction, ecosystem conservation and protection, and adaptation to climatic impacts. This book combines the existing information, previously scattered in various journals, conference proceedings, and technical reports. It contains contributions by several authors to achieve a comprehensive and balanced coverage, including qualitative and quantitative descriptions of relevant physical processes, forecasting methods and flood-frequency assessments, as well as ecological impacts and climatic considerations. The book should be of interest to readers of different backgrounds, both beginners and specialists. -- Publisher's website.