Simulation and analysis of ice processes in an artificial open channel

The Middle Route Project for South-to-North Water Transfer, which consists of a long artificial open channel and various hydraulic constructions, is a big water conveyance system. A numerical modeling of water conveyance in the ice period for such large-scale and long distance water transfer project is developed based on the integration of a river ice model and an unsteady flow model with complex inner boundaries. A simplified method to obtain the same flow discharge in the upstream and downstream of the structure by neglecting the storage effect is proposed for dealing with the inner boundaries. According to the measured and design data in winter-spring period, the whole ice process, which includes the formation of the ice cover, its development, the melting and the breaking up as well as the ice-water dynamic response during the gate operation for the middle route, is simulated. The ice chara- cteristics and the water conveyance capacity are both analyzed and thus the hydraulic control conditions for a safety regulation are obtained. At last, the uncertainties of some parameters related to the ice model are discussed.

Comprehensive two-dimensional river ice model based on boundary-fitted coordinate transformation method

River ice is a natural phenomenon in cold regions, influenced by meteorology, geomorphology, and hydraulic conditions. River ice processes involve complex interactions between hydrodynamic, mechanical, and thermal processes, and they are also influenced by weather and hydrologic conditions. Because natural rivers are serpentine, with bends, narrows, and straight reaches, the commonly-used one-dimensional river ice models and two-dimensional models based on the rectangular Cartesian coordinates are incapable of simulating the physical phenomena accurately. In order to accurately simulate the complicated river geometry and overcome the difficulties of numerical simulation resulting from both complex boundaries and differences between length and width scales, a two-dimensional river ice numerical model based on a boundary-fitted coordinate transformation method was developed. The presented model considers the influence of the frazil ice accumulation under ice cover and the shape of the leading edge of ice cover during the freezing process. The model is capable of determining the velocity field, the distribution of water temperature, the concentration distribution of frazil ice, the transport of floating ice, the progression, stability, and thawing of ice cover, and the transport, accumulation, and erosion of ice under ice cover. A MacCormack scheme was used to solve the equations numerically. The model was validated with field observations from the Hequ Reach of the Yellow River. Comparison of simulation results with field data indicates that the model is capable of simulating the river ice process with high accuracy.

δ18O,δD and d-excess signatures of ground ice in permafrost in the Beiluhe Basin on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,China

In this paper, stable isotope （δ18O, δD） investigations were completed in ground ice from a deep borehole in the Beiluhe Basin on northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to unravel the isotopic variations of ground ice and their possible source water. The δ18O and δD of ground ice show distinctive characteristics compared with precipitation and surface water. The near-surface ground ice is highly enriched in heavier isotopes （δ18O and δD）, which were gradually depleted from top to bottom along the profile. It is suggestive of different origin and ice formation process. According to isotopic variations, the ice profile was divided into three sections： the near-surface ground ice at 2.5 m is frozen by the active-layer water which suffered evaporation. It is possible that ground ice between 3 and 4.2 m is recharged by the infiltration of snowmelt. From 5 to 6 m, the ground ice show complex origin and formation processes. Isotopic variations from 6 to 11.1 m and 20.55 m indicate different replenishment water. The calculated slope of freezing line （S=6.4） is larger than the experimental value （5.76）, and is suggestive of complex origin and formation process of ground ice.

AntarcticaLC2000：The new Antarctic land cover database for the year 2000

Antarctica plays a key role in global energy balance and sea level change.It has been conventionally viewed as a whole ice body with high albedo in General Circulation Models or Regional Climate Models and the differences of land cover has usually been overlooked.Land cover in Antarctica is one of the most important drivers of changes in the Earth system.Detailed land cover information over the Antarctic region is necessary as spatial resolution improves in land process models.However,there is a lack of complete Antarctic land cover dataset derived from a consistent data source.To fill this data gap,we have produced a database named Antarctic Land Cover Database for the Year 2000(AntarcticaLC2000) using Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus(ETM+) data acquired around 2000 and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer(MODIS) images acquired in the austral summer of 2003/2004 according to the criteria for the 1:100000-scale.Three land cover types were included in this map,separately,ice-free rocks,blue ice,and snow/firn.This classification legend was determined based on a review of the land cover systems in Antarctica(LCCSA) and an analysis of different land surface types and the potential of satellite data.Image classification was conducted through a combined usage of computer-aided and manual interpretation methods.A total of 4067 validation sample units were collected through visual interpretation in a stratified random sampling manner.An overall accuracy of 92.3%and the Kappa coefficient of 0.836 were achieved.Results show that the areas and percentages of ice-free rocks,blue ice,and snow/firn are 73268.81 km2(0.537%),225937.26 km2(1.656%),and 13345460.41 km2(97.807%),respectively.The comparisons with other different data proved a higher accuracy of our product and a more advantageous data quality.These indicate that AntarcticaLC2000,the new land cover dataset for Antarctica entirely derived from satellite data,is a reliable product for a broad spectrum of applications.