Remote Sensing-Based Frazil Ice Production and Its Influencing Factors in the Inner Mongolia Reaches of the Yellow River

Abstract

In this study, frazil ice production and its influencing factors in the Inner Mongolian reaches of the Yellow River were revealed. The reach extending from the Haibowan Reservoir (HBW) to the Wanjiazhai Reservoir (WJZ) was chosen as the research area for this study, because this section frequently experiences serious ice-related problems. Frazil ice production rate is important for ice cover progression and hanging dam formation, which affect ice conditions and reservoir operation. The heat exchange between the water surface and the atmosphere and the variation in the water surface area are the main factors affecting frazil ice production. A linear heat budget model was used in this study, and a simplified model was proposed for effective open-water area estimation. The results show that the quantity of heat budget upstream and downstream determines the order of freeze-up and break-up. The surface ice appeared when the difference between the water temperature and air temperature was between 6 and 8 °C. The daily open water area could be estimated on the basis of the ice run concentration and the length of freeze-up, with an error rate of less than 13% compared with the remote sensing monitoring results. Thermal discharge from the HBW delays frazil ice formation and the freeze-up date, resulting in a 13.85 km long stretch of open water downstream of the reservoir and reducing daily frazil ice production by at least 2.31 × 10⁵ m³.

Keywords

frazil ice / heat budget / remote sensing / reservoir operation / Yellow River

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