Ice Jams, Winter 1996-1997

• Main Authors: Peterson, Erika K., Herrin, Lourie, White, Kate
• Other Authors: COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB HANOVER NH
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1998
• Subjects: Snow; Ice and Permafrost; Information Science; Hydrology; Limnology and Potamology; *DATA BASES; *ICE FORMATION; UNITED STATES; WATER FLOW; EMERGENCIES; ARMY RESEARCH; COMMUNITIES; DAMAGE; STRUCTURES; COLD REGIONS; WINTER; RESOURCES; ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS; ROADS; RIVERS; FLOODS; FLOODING; CIVIL ENGINEERING; LAKES; BRIDGES; Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory; Ice; permafrost
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA407542; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA407542

Rivers, streams, and lakes in cold regions freeze during winter months. Ice jams may form during initial ice cover formation (freezeup jams) or when ice cover breaks up (breakup jams). Both freezeup and breakup jams cause backwater flooding and damage to low-lying areas and municipal structures. Costly damages to riverine communities are a direct result of these ice jams, which often leave little time for engineers and state officials to prepare for flooding and evacuate the communities or structures to be affected by rapidly rising waters. Ice jams can cause an estimated $100 million in damages annually in the United States. Roads may be flooded and closed to traffic, or bridges weakened or destroyed, limiting emergency and medical relief to the affected areas. The potential exists for death or serious injury due to jam and flood conditions, or during evacuations. Engineers and state officials work together to prevent damages due to ice jams, and many are working to anticipate future measures required to prevent serious ice jams from forming. These efforts depend upon accurate and reliable ice jam data. The U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) Ice Jam Database is a compilation of freezeup and breakup ice jam events in the United States. Currently, there are more than 10,500 entries in the database, dating from 1780. CRREL's Ice Jam Database is a reliable resource used to research previous ice jams and to predict and assess conditions that may increase the probability of an ice jam formation. The original document contains color images.