Determining ice-jam-surge characteristics from measured wave forms

Abstract

Upon the release of an ice jam, a wave or surge results that generates increased water stages and much higher flow velocities, posing various risks to local river ecology as well as to river structures and riverside communities. The temporal waveform can be easily measured, using water-level sensors, but the hydrodynamic characteristics of the surge, such as celerity, flow velocity, discharge, and shear stress, remain difficult to determine. An analytical method to deduce these parameters is developed herein, based on the equations of motion and plausible approximations for natural stream geometry. Preliminary comparisons with recent field measurements show promising results and demonstrate the degree to which a surge can magnify hydrodynamic forces. The methodology can be used in various applications, such as assessing the severity of a breakup event, estimating flow discharge during the passage of a wave, or evaluating scour potential in ecologically sensitive reaches and at river crossings.Key words: breakup, celerity, equations of motion, ice jam, shear stress, surge, velocity, wave.