Author(s): Gee Tsang
Linked Author(s): Gee Tsang
Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: A field program was conducted on Lake Simcoe in Southern Ontario in the spring of 1974 to study ice pilings and the associated hydro-meteorological conditions. On-site meteorological and hydrological parameters were recorded. The changes and the movements of the ice cover were monitored. The constant observation of the ice cover and its movement permitted the establishment of the exact time of the ice pilings that have occurred. It also permitted detailed observations of the ice behaviour during piling. The analysis of the hydro-meteorological data confirmed the earlier proposition that ice pilings are short-duration events and are caused by the quick change in wind direction from offshore to onshore. A water gap is necessary for the ice field to build up its momentum. An impulse parameter was found to be a useful tool to predict ice piling. Static wind shear was found to have little effect on ice piling and the breakup of the ice cover. The field study also showed that until a large open water lead is developed, the lake current is weak and has little effect on ice piling. The piling of ice was influenced by the floe size and the physical state of the ice. Factors affecting the former are still not well known. More work in that area will help the calculation of the kinetic energy of a piling ice floe.
Year: 1975