Field measurements and numerical modelling of ice cover formation in four stormwater ponds

FERNANDEZ, ROCIO LUZ; KEMP, JEFF; LOEWEN, MARK

Quebec

Workshop; 18th Workshop on the Hydraulics of Ice Covered Rivers; 2015

CGU HS Committee on River Ice Processes and the Environment

Four stormwater ponds were surveyed in Edmonton, Alberta during 2013/14 and 2014/15 winter seasons to investigate ice cover behavior. Spatial variations in ice cover thickness were assessed periodically by conducting ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys over the four study ponds. These surveys included coincident collection of in situ snow/ice measurements to evaluate the radar performance. Also, weather-related variables and pond water temperature were continuously monitored in each waterbody to characterize the conditions under which ice formation and breakup occur in the ponds. Complementary, digital cameras were installed on shore of each pond to capture time-elapsed images of the ice cover as it developed over the winter season. In particular, the field measurements focused on characterizing the pond ice cover dynamics along the main flow pathways and nearthe inlets andoutlets. During the 2013/14 winter the ponds froze over in late November 2013 and ice thickness were observed to vary from 0.2 to 0.6 m during the winter season. A 3-D hydrodynamic model that includes ice processes was configured for all four ponds in order to study ice-water coupling processes and to predict ice cover formation in the stormwater ponds.