| Committee on Ice Research and Engineering |
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Scope
In cold regions, the effects of ice on human activities
can be either harmful or beneficial. Some of the problems caused
by ice are floods induced by ice jams, clogging of water intakes
and trash racks by frazil ice, severe impediment to winter navigation,
and damage to coastal and offshore structures by moving ice. On
the positive side, stable ice covers have extensively been used
for transportation, recreational activities, landing of aircraft
and working platforms, and also ice is a source of clear drinking
water. At times, however, mishaps during these activities have resulted
in loss of life. So, a major goal of ice engineering is to protect
life and property against the harmful effects of ice by understanding
ice phenomena and processes. Ice engineering deals with ice formation,
ice movement, the thermal regimes of rivers, lakes and seas, and
the development of methods to alleviate the harmful effects of ice.
About 77% of the fresh water of the world is stored in glaciers
and massive ice sheets, mostly in Antarctica and Greenland. Possible
global warming will affect these massive ice sheets, resulting in
a global change of the sea level. Regionally, a cold climate and
the formation of ice on water bodies strongly affect human activities
in countries located at the higher latitudes of both hemispheres.
In countries having a moderately cold climate, the existence of
ice is limited to short periods of a few weeks per year, but unexpected
winter conditions can cause severe ice-related problems, such as
interruption of navigation, ice-jam induced floods, ice damage to
bridges, coastal structures, hydropower plants and other hydraulic
structures, ice blockage of water intakes, etc.
Research and engineering efforts are mainly directed toward a better
understanding of ice and how best to manage it. Research topics
include: (1) the formation and evolution of various types of ice;
(2) the movement and accumulation of ice in surface waters and around
structures; (3) the interaction between flow and ice cover; (4)
the effects of ice on the environment and ecology; (5) methods of
ice control and use; (6) the mechanical physical properties of ice;
and (7) mathematical and physical modelling of ice engineering problems.
The research should aid in the solution of ice related problems
affecting strong economic and environmental interests, such as hydropower
production, navigation in ice-infested waters, water transfer in
cold regions, mitigation of ice-jam floods, effects of ice on hydraulic
structures, and exploitation of petroleum and other natural resources
in polar regions. Active co-operation exists between the research
community and industry in ice hydraulic engineering. This kind of
co-operation should be maintained and promoted, and the importance
of basic research should be recognised.
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Research Agenda
River, lake and reservoir
ice hydraulics: Important topics to be investigated include
the freeze-up process, especially the development of different types
of ice runs and covers starting from frazil ice formation; the hydraulic
and ecological effects of frazil and anchor ice; river ice break-up,
with emphases on the dynamics of ice cover interaction with river
flow and the effects of basin runoff; the dynamics of surface and
undercover ice runs and jam formation; the blockage of water intakes
and fish hatcheries, which impedes the continuous flow of water;
the impacts of ice on sediment transport, water quality, and river
and lake morphology; and methods of ice control and mitigation.
Thermal regime: The great variety
of complex phenomena that depend on thermodynamic processes need
to be understood, because the thermal regimes of rivers, lakes and
seas control the growth of ice and its properties.
Ice forces on structures: These forces
depend on the mechanical strength of ice and the processes leading
to its failure. There is a need to investigate the ice failure process
in bending, crushing, fracture and buckling. Non-simultaneous crushing
of ice at high indentation rates is caused by a combination of ductile
and brittle failure, and the understanding of this process is far
from complete. Study of structure's interaction with a pressure
ridge should also receive emphasis.
Ice modelling: Ice modelling is used
for testing the performance of icebreakers, determining the forces
on an offshore structure, studying the effectiveness of hydraulic
structures, etc. Although modelling techniques have improved considerably,
there are still limitations on model tests because of facility size
and the requirements for model ice to have low strength and brittle
properties. The modelling techniques need to be improved by comparing
the results from model tests with data obtained from full-scale
structures. To clarify scale effects should be a main focus.
Environmental and ecological effects of
ice: Important topics to be investigated include: climate
changes; the effects of global climate change need to be assessed
with respect to the ice regimes of rivers, lakes and seas; diffusion
and dispersion of pollutants. These differ in partly and completely
ice-covered waters versus ice-free waters. Oil spills, the effects
of spills in ice-infested waters also need to be understood. The
effects of ice on stream ecology and the presence of an ice cover
influences the level of dissolved oxygen (DO) in streams, and ice
control techniques may also affect the stream habitat. These are
all emerging areas of research.
Instrumentation: There is a need
to develop instruments suitable for cold environments, for use in
both the laboratory and the field.
Numerical modelling: Numerical modelling
is an essential part of ice engineering research. With the lack
of understanding of many of the complex ice phenomena, theoretical
formulations are usually not available. Mathematical modelling should
be used in conjunction with field observations and laboratory experiments
as a tool for developing solutions to ice engineering problems with
known analytical formulations. Because of the intricate flow, thermal
and mechanical processes in many ice phenomena, traditional numerical
methods are usually not adequate. Innovative mathematical and numerical
techniques should be developed. The transfer of new models from
researchers to practising engineers should be promoted and supported.
Navigation in ice covered waters:
To provide safe and economical vessels is an essential goal for
investigators. Exploitation of petroleum and other natural resources
in polar regions requires ice navigating vessels to transport massive
amounts of product. Ship operators strongly request vessels that
can safely and effectively navigate in ice-covered waters. The presence
of an ice cover is not only a severe impediment to winter navigation
in inland waters, but also affects ships and barges passing through
locks and dams. Coastal regions and harbours have to be protected
from ice movements and the combined actions of ice and waves. Methods
to mitigate these problems need to be investigated.
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Committee Officers
Leadership Team
Chair
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Dr. Pat Langhorne
Department of Physics
University of Otago
P.O. Box 56
Dunedin 9054
New Zealand
E-mail: pjl@physics.otago.ac.nz |
Vice Chair
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Andrew (Andy) M. Tuthill, MSCE
U S Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory
72 Lyme Rd.
Hanover, NH 03755
603-646-4225
E-mail: Andrew.M.Tuthill@usace.army.mil
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Publications
Conference Reports
Previous IAHR Ice Symposia Proceedings
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Symposium on Ice Proceedings
- IAHR International Symposium on Ice and Its Action on Hydraul, Structures. 1970, Reykjavic, Iceland.Available from: IAHR Secretariat
P.O. Box 177, Delft, The Netherlands
- 2nd IAHR Symposium on Ice and Its Action on Hydraulic Structures, 1972, Leningrad, U.S.S.R.
- IAHR International Symposium on River and Ice, 1974, Budapest, Hungary.
Joint conference with Permanent International Association of Navigation Congress.From: Kultura, P.O. Box 149, H-1389 Budapest, Hungary
- Third IAHR International Symposium on Ice Problems, 1975, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA. From: Mr. Guenther Frankenstein
U.S.A. CRREL, 72 Lyme Road, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755-1290
- IAHR Symposium on Ice Problems, 1978, Lulea, Sweden
Available from:Town of Lulea, Information Office, Fack, 5-951 85 Lulea, Sweden
- IAHR International Symposium on Ice, 1981, Quebec Canada
Available from: Dr. Bernard Michel, Department de genie civil, Universite Laval, Cite universitaire, Quebec, Canada G1K 7P4
- Iahr Ice Symposium 1984, Hamburg, W. Germany
Available from: Dr. Joachim Schwarz, Ice Engineering Department
Hamburgische Schiffbau-Versuchsanstalt GmbH., P.O. Box 60 09 29
D-2000 Hamburg 60, W. Germany
- 8th IAHR Symposium on Ice, Iowa City, USA, August 18-22, 1986, 3 volumes. From Institute of Hydraulic Research, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
- 9th Int. Symposium on Ice, Sapporo, Japan, August 23-27, 1988. 3 volumes. From Dr Hiroshi Saeki, Civil Engineering Dept. Hokkaido University, N-13, W-8, Kita- ku, Sapporo 060, Japan
- 10th Int. Symposium on Ice, Espoo, Finland, August 20-23, 1990. 3 volumes. From Prof. Mauri Määtänen, Helsinki University of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Otakaari 1, SF-02150 Espoo, Finland. Telephone +358 (0) 451 3440, fax +358 (0) 451 3443.
- 11th Int. Symposium on Ice, Banff, Alberta, June 15-19, 1992. From Mrs Yolande Matsusaki, Manager, Conference Centre, 4 Lister Hall, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2H6.
- 12th Int. Symposium on Ice, Trondheim, Norway, August 23-26, 1994; 2 volumes. From Sintef NHL, Attn. Astrid Sivertsvik, N-7034, Trondheim, Norway.
- 13th International Symposium on Ice, August 27-31, 1996, Beijing, China, 2 volumes. From Mme Yang, Xiaoqing, IWHR, P.O.Box 366, Beijing 100044, China.
- 14th International Symposium on Ice, July 27-31, 1998, Potsdam, NY, Ice in Surface Waters, Proceeding, (2 volumes, ed. H.T. Shen, A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam, 1998 ISBN 90 54109726 & 1999 ISBN 90 54109734).
- 15th International Symposium on Ice, Aug. 28-Sep. 1, 2000, Gdansk, Poland, 2 volumes. From Institute of Hydroengineering, Polish Academy of Sciences, Gdansk, Poland.
- 16th IAHR Ice Symposium, 2002, Dunedin, New Zealand
Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3
Available from: Dr. Pat Langhorne
email: pjl@physics.otago.ac.nz .
- 17th IAHR Ice Symposium, St. Petersburg, Russia
- 19th International Symposium on Ice, Vanocuiver, Canada, July 6-11th, 2008
Available from BC Hydro, 6911 Southpoint Drive (E15)
Burnaby, BC, V3N 4X8, Canada Att., Martin.Jasek@bchydro.com
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Reports
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