Estimation of Yukon River discharge during an ice jam near Dawson City

Abstract

The paper presents two approaches used independently to estimate river discharge during an ice jam on the Yukon River near Dawson City. One method entailed the use of large-scale particle image velocimetry to obtain surface velocities, which were extrapolated and integrated to yield a discharge. Videotaping of ice-floe drift comprised the measurement method used for the large-scale particle image velocimetry. The second approach entailed numerical simulations performed with a 1-D ice-jam profile model (ICEJAM). The numerical model incorporates an "island-compensation" technique developed to take into account the difficulty of using 1-D ice-jam profile models to simulate accurately channels with two-dimensional features such as islands and bars. The two approaches yielded closely comparable estimates of river discharge.Key words: discharge, velocity, measurement, river, ice, jam, particle, image, velocimetry, islands.