Recent work in Snowmelt Hydrology and Ice Hydraulics at ERDC/CRREL

1. Recent work in Snowmelt Hydrology and Ice Hydraulics at ERDC/CRREL Steven F. Daly Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory Hanover, NH

2. Overview • Simulation of Flow in Rivers with Ice • Ice Jam Database • Snowmelt Hydrology • Evaporation • Remote Sensing and River Ice • Wrap-up

3. Simulation of Flow in Rivers with Ice • HEC-RAS w/Ice • Steady Flow – estimate ice jam thickness for wide-river breakup jams • Unsteady Flow – known ice cover thickness and roughness – user input • New: Ice information can be output to GeoRas for GIS • Coming: Improvements to the ice jam computations: • flow through jam • allow jam to contact bed • Further: 1-D ice model to model from open water to ice cover and back again

6. Simulation of Flow in Rivers with Ice • DynaRice – 2-D model with ice • Discrete Parcel Model • ADH • 2-D model with fixed, known ice cover • Hydraulic Data Assimilation – HyDAS • Calculates ice or user can enter • Estimates ice cover roughness “on the fly” by assimilating intermediate stages • Originally developed for Missouri River at Pierre, now applied to the St Clair River

7. Ice impact period Conveyance Discharge Stage HyDAS

8. Ice Jam Database • Over 17K entries • Information is taken from NWS bulletins • Flood statements, flood advisories, Flood watch, Hydrologic Discussions, River Statements, etc, etc • Any release that mentions ice, or jam • Other sources • Work with Districts and Divisions with ice jam flooding: site visits, advice, etc • MWF Briefs for USACE Operations Center at HQ; map in EngLink • No standardized ice jam reporting format by NWS • Further: IJDB will be automated

10. Through 14 Jan 2010

11. https://rsgis.crrel.usace.army.mil/icejam/

12. Snowmelt Hydrology • Focus has been adding/improving snow modeling capabilities to HEC-HMS • SSARR temperature index snow model • Air temperature and Precipitation • Requires melt factor and other parameters • Modes: • Subbasin • Elevation bands • Gridded

14. Kajakai Reservoir Afghanistan

15. HEC-HMS • Coming: Increased snow information output to DSS • Coming: Complete energy-balance snow model • All modes of heat transfer • Sensible, latent, short wave (sunlight), long wave • Ground heat transfer • One layer snow model • Albedo estimation

16. Operational Forecasting with HMS • Initial snow conditions on the ground • Daily • Convert NOHRSC gridded snow model results to HEC-DSS gridded objects • Secure copy the results to the User’s folder • Available for forecast run. • Currently: Moreau, Big Sioux, Grand • Coming: : • James R, Chatfield Watershed; Omaha District • Red R of the North, Sheyenne R; St Paul District

17. Evaporation Model • A physically based- bulk flux method • 1D simulation of reservoir water temp • Thermal Diffusion • Wind mixing • Density mixing • Uses NWS met data, Long wave and short wave models, reservoir geometry; water surface elevation • Currently being programmed in CWMS for most reservoirs in the Omaha District

18. Evap

19. Salt Lake 14 Pawnee

20. Satellite Imagery of River Ice and Snow • CRREL has shown that satellite imagery, AVHRR, can be used to map snow covered area in the Great Plains • Although it has great promise, satellite imagery has not, to date, been a practical tool for monitoring river ice conditions • Problems: resolution, scheduling, latency, and clouds

21. Satellite Imagery of River Ice • Resolution: less than 10m • Eliminates optical satellites with daily coverage: MODIS, AVHRR • Commercial satellites: QuikBird – clouds • Scheduling and Latency: • RADARSAT is difficult to schedule and latency is 24hours to 3 days or longer • Best to schedule in advance

23. Wrap-up • Continued work • HEC-RAS with Ice • HEC-HMS snowmelt • Ice Jam Database: only national resource on river ice jams • Evaporation • Remote Sensing of River Ice: work in progress