Author(s): T. D. Prowse
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: River ice is an integral and important component of the flow regime in cold regions environments. From a general physical perspective, it is known to produce many hydrologic extremes, such as low-flows and floods, that far exceed those possible under open-water conditions. It can also significantly modify a number of other physical and chemical processes mechanisms that have important biological implications, such as the erosion and deposition of sediment or the production and transport of oxygen. More generally, it also determines the nature, quality and abundance or various in-stream, deltaic and riparian habitats. This introductory paper briefly reviews the broad environmental and ecological significance of river ice. References are provided to new, more comprehensive treatments of this emerging subject.
Year: 1996