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A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Hydraulics and Hydrodynamics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2024) | Viewed by 12554

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jueyi Sui

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Guest Editor

School of Engineering, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9, Canada
Interests: fluvial hydraulics; local scour; river ice hydraulics; sediment transport; eco-hydraulics; snow hydrology; numerical simulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Yuntong She

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Guest Editor

Department of Civil Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
Interests: computational hydraulics, with a specific interest in the areas of river ice engineering, freeze-up and breakup processes; river ice jam flood forecasting; winter water quality; sediment transport; urban drainage system; oil pipeline system

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Ice and snow play an important role in the hydrological cycle of cold regions and have great implications for both water quantity and quality. The presence of ice in natural water bodies such as rivers and lakes can lead to a variety of challenges for public safety, the operation and maintenance of water infrastructures, winter transportation and navigation, as well as environmental and aquatic ecosystems. Snowpack acts as a temporary reservoir in a watershed by regulating the timing and rate of water release. Snowmelt due to increasing temperature in spring, accelerated by rain-on-snow events, may lead to disastrous flooding.

Over the past half century, with the growing interest in cold region hydrology and hydraulics, significant progress has been made. Many cutting-edge studies on all aspects of river ice hydraulics, fluvial hydraulics under ice-covered flow condition, and snow hydrology, have been published. However, to help researchers continue this innovative research work in the right direction, a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of river ice on fluvial hydraulics, the generation of flow from snowmelt, or the rain-on-snow process, is required.

This Special Issue calls for renewed contributions that improve the knowledge of this theme, including—but not limited to—river ice hydraulics, the effects of ice on mixing and transport, ice-induced deformation of the riverbed, the impacts of river ice on the operation of hydropower plants and other water infrastructure, watershed study and hydrological modeling in cold regions, and the impacts of climate change and anthropogenic activities on ice processes. Research regarding channel navigation in cold regions and the impacts of ice and snow on environmental and aquatic systems are also welcome.

Dr. Jueyi Sui
Dr. Yuntong She
Guest Editors

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Keywords

river ice
lake ice
ice jam
ice flooding
snow hydrology
rain-on-snow
cold regions

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Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3613 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of Local Scour around Double Piers in Tandem Arrangement in an S-Shaped Channel under Ice-Jammed Flow Conditions

by Shihao Dong, Zhenhua Zhang, Zhicong Li, Pangpang Chen, Jun Wang and Guowei Li

Water 2024, 16(19), 2831; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16192831 - 6 Oct 2024

Viewed by 541

Abstract

The stability of bridge foundations is affected by local scour, and the formation of ice jams exacerbates local scour around bridge piers. These processes, particularly the evolution of ice jams and local scour around piers, are more complex in curved sections than in straight sections. This study, based on experiments in an S-shaped channel, investigates how various factors—the flow Froude number, ice–water discharge rate, median particle diameter, pier spacing, and pier diameter—affect the maximum local scour depth around double piers in tandem and the distribution of ice jam thickness. The results indicate that under ice-jammed flow conditions, the maximum local scour depth around double piers in tandem is positively correlated with the ice–water discharge rate, pier spacing, and pier diameter and negatively correlated with median particle diameter. The maximum local scour depth is positively correlated with the flow Froude number when it ranges from 0.1 to 0.114, peaking at 0.114. Above this value, the correlation becomes negative. In curved channels, the arrangement of double piers in tandem substantially influences ice jam thickness distribution, with increases in pier diameter and spacing directly correlating with greater ice jam thickness at each cross-section. Furthermore, ice jam thickness is responsive to flow conditions, escalating with higher ice–water discharge rates and decreasing flow Froude numbers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cold Region Hydrology and Hydraulics)

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24 pages, 6775 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of a Coupled CFD and Multi-Body Motion Model for Ice-Structure Interaction Simulation

by Hanif Pourshahbaz, Tadros Ghobrial and Ahmad Shakibaeinia

Water 2024, 16(17), 2454; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16172454 - 29 Aug 2024

Viewed by 792

Abstract

The interaction of water flow, ice, and structures is common in fluvial ice processes, particularly around Ice Control Structures (ICSs) that are used to manage and prevent ice jam floods. To evaluate the effectiveness of ICSs, it is essential to understand the complex interaction between water flow, ice and the structure. Numerical modeling is a valuable tool that can facilitate such understanding. Until now, classical Eulerian mesh-based methods have not been evaluated for the simulation of ice interaction with ICS. In this paper we evaluate the capability, accuracy, and efficiency of a coupled Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) and multi-body motion numerical model, based on the mesh-based FLOW-3D V.2023 R1 software for simulation of ice-structure interactions in several benchmark cases. The model’s performance was compared with results from meshless-based models (performed by others) for the same laboratory test cases that were used as a reference for the comparison. To this end, simulation results from a range of dam break laboratory experiments were analyzed, encompassing varying numbers of floating objects with distinct characteristics, both in the presence and absence of ICS, and under different downstream water levels. The results show that the overall accuracy of the FLOW-3D model under various experimental conditions resulted in a RMSE of 0.0534 as opposed to an overall RMSE of 0.0599 for the meshless methods. Instabilities were observed in the FLOW-3D model for more complex phenomena that involve open boundaries and a larger number of blocks. Although the FLOW-3D model exhibited a similar computational time to the GPU-accelerated meshless-based models, constraints on the processors speed and the number of cores available for use by the processors could limit the computational time. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cold Region Hydrology and Hydraulics)

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19 pages, 3066 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Analysis of Snowmelt-Driven Streamflow Forecasting Using Machine Learning Techniques

by Ukesh Thapa, Bipun Man Pati, Samit Thapa, Dhiraj Pyakurel and Anup Shrestha

Water 2024, 16(15), 2095; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16152095 - 25 Jul 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1677

Abstract

The rapid advancement of machine learning techniques has led to their widespread application in various domains, including water resources. However, snowmelt modeling remains an area that has not been extensively explored. In this study, we propose a state-of-the-art (SOTA) deep learning sequential model, leveraging a Temporal Convolutional Network (TCN), for snowmelt forecasting of the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region. To evaluate the performance of our proposed model, we conducted a comparative analysis with other popular models, including Support Vector Regression (SVR), Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), and Transformer models. Furthermore, nested cross-validation (CV) was used with five outer folds and three inner folds, and hyperparameter tuning was performed on the inner folds. To evaluate the performance of the model, the Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Root-Mean-Square Error (RMSE), R square (

R^{2}

), Kling–Gupta Efficiency (KGE), and Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) were computed for each outer fold. The average metrics revealed that the TCN outperformed the other models, with an average MAE of 0.011, RMSE of 0.023,

R^{2}

of 0.991, KGE of 0.992, and NSE of 0.991 for one-day forecasts of streamflow. The findings of this study demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed deep learning model as compared to traditional machine learning approaches for snowmelt-driven streamflow forecasting. Moreover, the superior performance of this TCN highlights its potential as a promising deep learning model for similar hydrological applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cold Region Hydrology and Hydraulics)

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22 pages, 5834 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Changes in Snow Cover and Its Surface Temperature across the Tibetan Plateau Region from 2000 to 2020

by Zhihan Li, Qikang Chen, Zhuoying Deng, Minjie Yang, Qi Zhou and Hengming Zhang

Water 2024, 16(15), 2073; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16152073 - 23 Jul 2024

Viewed by 933

Abstract

Currently, the global climate system is complex and ever-changing, with multiple factors influencing climate change. The Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, known as the “Third Pole” of the Earth, is particularly sensitive to global climate change. Without timely and scientific research on the ecological environment of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and without summarizing relevant adaptive strategies, global climate change will impact the sustainable development of the plateau. This study utilized Landsat remote sensing images from 2000 to 2020 to extract the snow cover area and snow temperature of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau using the snow frequency threshold method. The study analyzed the spatiotemporal characteristics of snow cover and temperature over the 20-year period and investigated some of the climate and topographical driving factors influencing their changes. The results showed that from 2000 to 2020, the permanent snow cover area in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau region showed a fluctuating decreasing trend, reducing from approximately 12.34 thousand km² to around 9.01 thousand km²; the permanent snow temperature showed an initial increase followed by a decrease during the same period. The highest annual average snow temperature was approximately −3.478 °C, while the lowest annual average temperature was around −8.150 °C. Over the 20-year period, the snow cover area in the plateau was negatively correlated with temperature and precipitation, while snow temperature was positively correlated with temperature and precipitation. The snow cover in the weak wind areas of the plateau showed a significant reduction. Areas with higher average wind speeds, such as shaded slopes and semi-shaded slopes, had larger snow cover areas. These research findings provide important insights into the protection and management of the ecological environment of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cold Region Hydrology and Hydraulics)

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19 pages, 8980 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Grain Size on the Uniaxial Compressive Strength of Ice Forming with Different Wind Speeds in a Cold Laboratory

by Yujia Zhang, Zuoqin Qian, Weilong Huang, Xiaodong Chen, Zhen Zhang and Jie Ren

Water 2024, 16(14), 2049; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16142049 - 19 Jul 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 850

Abstract

This study investigated the uniaxial compressive strength of distilled water ice prepared in a low-temperature laboratory at −30 °C at varying wind speeds of 0 m/s, 1 m/s, 2 m/s, 4 m/s, 6 m/s, and 8 m/s. The crystal structure and grain size of the ice were measured. The results indicated that, during the ice forming period, the higher the wind speed, the lower the grain size. Uniaxial compression tests were conducted parallel to the ice crystal long axis direction within a strain rate range of 10⁻⁶ s⁻¹ to 10⁻² s⁻¹. The experimental temperature was controlled at −10 °C. Stress–strain curves were generated, elucidating the mechanical properties and failure modes of the ice. The results suggest that the uniaxial compressive strength of ice is related to the strain rate by a power–law function and shows a linear correlation with −1/2 power of grain size. The results explain the physical fact that the strength of ice is higher when the ice is formed in low-temperature and high-wind-speed environments. Additionally, this highlights how wind speed influences ice strength by controlling grain size during ice forming. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cold Region Hydrology and Hydraulics)

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13 pages, 10419 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Baseflow from Snow and Rain in Mountain Watersheds

by Helen Flynn, Steven R. Fassnacht, Marin S. MacDonald and Anna K. D. Pfohl

Water 2024, 16(12), 1665; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16121665 - 12 Jun 2024

Viewed by 932

Abstract

After peak snowmelt, baseflow is the primary contributor to streamflow in snow-dominated watersheds. These low flows provide important water for municipal, agricultural, and recreational purposes once peak flows have been allocated. This study examines the correlation between peak snow water equivalent (SWE), post-peak SWE precipitation, and baseflow characteristics, including any yearly lag in baseflow. To reflect the hydrologic processes that are occurring in snow-dominated watersheds, we propose using a melt year (MY) beginning with the onset of snowmelt contributions (the first deviation from baseflow) and ending with the onset of the following year’s snowmelt contributions. We identified the beginning of an MY and extracted the subsequent baseflow values using flow duration curves (FDCs) for 12 watersheds of varying sizes across Colorado, USA. Based on the findings, peak SWE and summer rain both dictate baseflow, especially for the larger watersheds evaluated, as identified by higher correlations with the MY-derived baseflow. Lags in the correlation between baseflow and peak SWE are best identified when low-snow years are investigated separately from high-snow years. The MY is a different and more effective approach to calculating baseflow using FDCs in snow-dominated watersheds in Colorado. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cold Region Hydrology and Hydraulics)

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18 pages, 5867 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Estimating Stage-Frequency Curves for Engineering Design in Small Ungauged Arctic Watersheds

by Chandler Engel, Anna Wagner, Jeremy Giovando, David Ho, Blaine Morriss and Elias Deeb

Water 2024, 16(10), 1321; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16101321 - 7 May 2024

Viewed by 870

Abstract

The design of hydraulic structures in the Arctic is complicated by shallow relief, which cause unique runoff processes that promote snow-damming and refreeze of runoff. We discuss the challenges encountered in modeling snowmelt runoff into two coastal freshwater lagoons in Utqiaġvik, Alaska. Stage-frequency curves with quantified uncertainty were required to design two new discharge gates that would allow snowmelt runoff flows through a proposed coastal revetment. To estimate runoff hydrographs arriving at the lagoons, we modeled snowpack accumulation and ablation using SnowModel which in turn was used to force a physically-based hydraulic runoff model (HEC-RAS). Our results demonstrate the successful development of stage-frequency curves by incorporating a Monte Carlo simulation approach that quantifies the variability in runoff timing and volume. Our process highlights the complexities of Arctic hydrology by incorporating significant delays in runoff onset due to localized snow accumulation and melting processes. This methodology not only addresses the uncertainty in snow-damming and refreeze processes which affect the arrival time of snowmelt inflow peaks, but is also adaptable for application in other challenging environments where secondary runoff processes are predominant. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cold Region Hydrology and Hydraulics)

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15 pages, 4869 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characteristics and Influence Rules of Roadside Ponding along the Qinghai–Tibet Highway

by Fuqing Cui, Yu Zhu, Xiaona Liu, Jianbing Chen, Ke Mu and Zhiyun Liu

Water 2024, 16(7), 954; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16070954 - 26 Mar 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 881

Abstract

Due to climate change and seasonal precipitation, water conditions in the Qinghai–Tibet region are a significant factor affecting the stability of subgrades. The accumulation of large amounts of surface water leads to subgrade diseases along the Qinghai–Tibet Highway. Based on remote sensing photos obtained from Google Earth Engine and processing the photos using ENVI 5.6.3 and CAD 2019 software, this paper analyzed the distribution characteristics of surface water and studied the impact of roadside ponding on subgrade diseases. The results showed that the total area of surface water was more than 3.7 million m², and the surface water was most widely distributed in large river areas such as the Tuotuo River and Buqu River. The subgrade diseases of the Qinghai–Tibet Highway could be categorized into three types: settlement, longitudinal crack, and frost boiling, which accounted for 71.09%, 17.13%, and 11.78% of the total number of subgrade diseases, respectively. Additionally, the ground mean annual temperature was an important factor affecting the distribution of surface water, with the surface water area showing an increasing trend with the increase in ground mean annual temperature, and roadside ponding was most likely to form in the high-temperature extremely unstable permafrost area. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cold Region Hydrology and Hydraulics)

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19 pages, 6147 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Numerical Modeling of Local Scour in the Vicinity of Bridge Abutments When Covered with Ice

by Mohammad Reza Namaee, Peng Wu and Mauricio Dziedzic

Water 2023, 15(19), 3330; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15193330 - 22 Sep 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1299

Abstract

The occurrence of bridge collapse is frequently attributed to the prevalent erosion in the vicinity of bridge abutments. Accurate determination of the maximum scour depth in the vicinity of bridge abutments is imperative to ensure a secure and reliable bridge design. The phenomenon of local scour at bridge abutments can exhibit significant variations when compared to open-flow conditions, primarily due to the additional obstacle posed by the presence of ice cover. Research has demonstrated that the erosion of bridge abutments is more pronounced in the presence of ice. The vertical velocity distribution has a direct impact on both the bed shear stress and the resulting scour geometry in ice-covered conditions. This study aims to analyze the effects of flow through open channels and covered flow conditions on the local scour process around semi-circular and square bridge abutments using FLOW-3D V 11.2 software. The utilization of the volume of fluid (VOF) approach is employed for monitoring the free surface, while the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations and the RNG k turbulence model are employed for simulating the flow field in the vicinity of bridge abutments. The sediment transport equations formulated by Meyer-Peter and Müller were employed for the purpose of simulating the movement of sediment particles. The numerical simulation results are compared with the experimental results. The result shows that the presence of ice cover and its roughness can increase the maximum scour depth both in numerical and experimental studies. The results also indicate that the maximum scour depth is located at the upstream section of the bridge abutments. These findings demonstrate the ability of the numerical model to predict the occurrence of local scour in the vicinity of bridge abutments under conditions of ice presence. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cold Region Hydrology and Hydraulics)

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13 pages, 1973 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Channel Bed Deformation around Double Piers in Tandem Arrangement in an S-Shaped Channel under Ice Cover

by Zhicong Li, Jun Wang, Jueyi Sui, Tiejie Cheng, Peigui Liu and Guowei Li

Water 2023, 15(14), 2568; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15142568 - 13 Jul 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1194

Abstract

Flow structure and channel bed deformation caused by double piers in a tandem arrangement under ice-covered flow conditions in a bent channel is more complicated than those around a single pier in a straight channel. Based on experiments in an S-shaped flume, the scouring phenomenon at double piers in a tandem arrangement under an ice cover has been conducted by varying pier spacing distance, bend apex cross section (BACS), and hydraulic parameters. Results show that, under identical hydraulic conditions, the variation trend of the scour depth in the vicinity of double piers in a tandem arrangement in a bent channel is similar to that in a straight channel. The deepest depth of scour holes at the upstream BACS is more than that at piers at the downstream BACS. At each BACS, the effect resulting from the interaction of double piers gradually decreases with the pier spacing distance. Different from the characteristics of local scour at double piers in a tandem arrangement in the straight flume, when the ratio of pier spacing distance to pier diameter (L/D) is more than 15, the horseshoe vortex generated by the front pier has negligible impact on the rear pier, and the maximum depth of scour hole at the rear pier scour hole is about 90% that of the front pier. Also, when L/D is higher than 15, the influence of the rear pier on the front one is negligible, and the scour hole depth at the front pier remains the same. However, this phenomenon occurs when the straight flume’s L/D is greater than 17. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cold Region Hydrology and Hydraulics)

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14 pages, 3492 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Local Scour around Side-by-Side Double Piers in Channel Bends under Ice-Covered Conditions—An Experimental Study

by Feihu Song, Jun Wang, Zhenhua Zhang, Tiejie Cheng, Guowei Li and Jueyi Sui

Water 2023, 15(13), 2317; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15132317 - 21 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1419

Abstract

The pier scour process is normally intensified in the presence of an ice cover, which poses risks to the longevity and safety of bridges. In the present study, the impact of the densimetric Froude number, locations, and pier spacing of side-by-side piers on the local scour depth under ice-covered flow conditions were investigated based on clear water scour experiments in an S-shaped laboratory flume. The results demonstrated that the local scour at piers along the convex bank was more substantial than that along the concave bank when other factors stayed identical. The densimetric Froude number clearly has more impact on local scour at piers along the convex bank than that along the concave bank. Different from the mechanism of the pier scour in a straight channel, the scour depth around a pier along the convex bank in the S-shaped flume increases as the distance between two piers (or pier spacing) increases, while it decreases around the piers along the concave bank. Similar scour patterns were observed when the side-by-side piers were installed at different bend apex cross-sections. The maximum local scour depths at piers along the convex bank measured at different bend apex cross-sections were relatively unchanged when other influencing factors were held constant. However, the maximum scour depth around piers along the concave bank decreased as the bends increased toward downstream. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cold Region Hydrology and Hydraulics)

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