Timing, progression, duration: an investigation of temporal patterns of break-up and ice jam flooding in the Mackenzie Delta, NWT

• Main Author: Goulding, Holly L.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Western CEDAR 2008
• Subjects: river-ice; break-up; floods; temporal patterns; Mackenzie Delta; Geography; Canada
• Online Access: https://cedar.wwu.edu/wdcag/2008wdcag/2008/40

The Mackenzie Delta is covered in freshwater lakes that provide habitat for a myriad of species. The hydrology of these delta lakes is dominated by cryospheric processes, specifically snowmelt induced spring break-up ice jams, which typically produce the largest hydrologic event of the year. In light of limited current understanding of break-up patterns and processes in the delta, the objective of this research is to explore the temporal variability of break-up and ice-affected extreme floods in the delta. Data gathered from a variety of sources, including hydrometric and meteorological stations, radar and satellite imagery, air photography, and historical observations, are assembled to create a break-up chronology for the delta. This includes an index of the timing of initiation of pronounced spring melting, as well as the initiation of break-up, the peak break-up water level, and the last day of ice effects for 15 Water Survey of Canada hydrometric stations in the Mackenzie Delta over the period from 1972 to 2006. Within the subset of identified extreme flood years, distinct timing patterns emerge, which can ultimately be linked to dominant hydroclimatic influences. These findings are part of the first stage of an ongoing investigation into the hydroclimatic controls on extreme hydrological events in the Mackenzie Delta.