Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID ND-2024-LE-1

Turbulent characteristics in locations with potential ice jams

Institute: North Dakota
Year Established: 2024 Start Date: 2024-09-01 End Date: 2025-08-31
Total Federal Funds: $7,360 Total Non-Federal Funds: $7,394

Principal Investigators: Trung Bao Le

Project Summary: Ice coverage of rivers is a common phenomenon in the northern hemisphere. The ice breakup situation stems from hydrodynamics of rivers under the ice-covered situation. This breakup might lead to the ice jam and its costs and damages motivate systematic research in three-dimensional flow structures in natural streams under ice coverage. This study examines Turbulent Kinetic Energy (TKE) and shear stress distribution as main characteristics of flow under relative bend curvature. We will perform field measurements on a meandering section of the Red River in Fargo, North Dakota, using the Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP), SonTek M9, and Acoustic Doppler Velocimetry (ADV), SonTek FlowTracker2. In addition to contributing to understanding ice jam mechanisms, our research will lead to new theories regarding river ice.