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Freezeup Processes Along the Susitna River, Alaska

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Freezeup Processes Along the Susitna River, Alaska This document is copyrighted material. Permission for online posting was granted to Alaska Resources Library and Information Services (ARLIS) by the copyright holder. Permission to post was received via e-mail by Celia Rozen, Collection Development Coordinator on December 16, 2013, from Kenneth D. Reid, Executive Vice President, American Water Resources Association, through Christopher Estes, Chalk Board Enterprises, LLC. Five chapters of this symposium are directly relevant to the Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project, as they are about the Susitna Hydroelectric Project or about the Susitna River. This PDF file contains the following chapter: Freezeup processes along the Susitna River by Stephen R. Bredthauer and G. Carl Schoch ........................................................ pages 573-581 Assigned number: APA 4144 American Water Resources Association PROCEEDINGS of the Symposium: Cold Regions Hydrology UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA-FAIRBANKS, FAIRBANKS, ALASKA Edited by DOUGLASL.KANE Water Research Center Institute of Northern Engineering University of Alaska-Fairbanks Fairbanks, Alaska Co-Sponsored by UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA-FAIRBANKS FAIRBANKS, ALASKA AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS fECHNICAL COUNCIL ON COLD REGIONS ENGINEERING NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION STATE OF ALASKA, ALASKA POWER AUTHORITY STATE OF ALASKA, DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES U.S. ARMY, COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LABORATORY Host Section ALASKA SECTION OF THE AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION The American Water Resources Association wishes to express appreciation to the U.S. Army, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, and the Alaska Power Authority for their co-sponsorship of the publication of the proceedings. American Water Resources Association 5410 Grosvenor Lane, Suite 220 Bethesda, Maryland 20814 COLD REGIONS HYDROLOGY SYMPOSIUM JULY AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION 1986 FREEZEUP PROCESSES ALONG THE SUSIT:NA RIVER, ALASKA Stephen R. Bredthauer and G. Carl Schoch * ABSTRACT: Operation of the proposed headwaters to Cook Inlet. Just downstream Susitna Hydroelectric Project in south­ from the headwater glaciers, the river is central Alaska would significantly alter highly braided. About 18 mi (29 km) the flow, thermal, and ice regimes of the downstream from the glaciers, the river river dow"'llstream of the project!':, poten­ develops a split channel configuration tially causing significant environmental which continues for 53 mi (85 km). This impacts. Consequently, the ice regime of initial reach, known as the upper Susitna the Susitna River has been monitored since River, has colder air temperatures than 1980 to document natural ice processes and the downstream reaches due to its higher their environmental effects, and to obtain elevation and latitude. However, it also calibration data for ice modelling of receives a substantial amount of solar certain segments of the river. This paper radiation during freezeup because of its describes the different freeze-up charac­ north-south orientation. The river then teristics along the river's length which flows through a series of steep-walled result from the significant variations in canyons for about 96 ~i (154 km) to the climate, morphology, and gradient along mouth of Devil Canyon. This reach, known the river. as the impoundment zone, contains the (KEY TERMS: river ice; Alaska; Susitna Watana and Devil Canyon damsites at river River.) mile (RH) 184.4 and RM 151.6, respective­ ly. The river then emerges from the canyon into the middle Susitna River, INTRODUCTION which flol>TS through a broad glacial U-shaped valley to the confluence with the The Susitna River basin is located in Chulitna River (RM 98), about 50 mi (80 southcentral Alaska, originating from km) downstream. The Talket:~tna River glaciers on the southern flank of the enters about one mile downstream (RM 97). Alaska Range (Figure 1) • The drainage Steep canyon walls along the impoundment basin covers 19,600 sq. mi. (50, 7 60 sq. zone and the middle Susitna River tend to km.), and is the sixth largest in Alaska. shade the turbulent water surface for much The upper basin upstrea~ of the of the winter. Average winter flow damsites is in the Continental climate (November through April) in this reach is zone, with climate characteristics of 1,600 cfs (45 ems). The river again cold, dry winters and warm, moderately wet becomes highly braided at the confluence summers. The lower basin is in the uith the Chulitna River. Average winter Transition climate zone (between the flow downstream of the Chulitna and Continental and Maritime zones), where Talkeetna rivers is 4,500 cfs (127 ems). temperature is less variable and pre­ The braided pattern continues for the 98 dpitation is greater than in the Conti­ mi (157 km) downstream to the mouth of the nental zone. river, with a few intermittent reaches of The Susitna River travels a distance well-defined single or multiple channels. of about 318 mi (512 km) from its glacial The Yentna River, the largest tributary to *Respectively, Senior Civil Engineer and Hydrologist, R&M Consultants, 5024 Cordova Street, Anchorage, Alaska 99503. 573 EXPLANATION 15292000 .. STREAM GAGING STATION (FLOW AND SEDIMENT DATA) 15292100 V SEDIMENT SAMPLING STATION DRAINAGE BASIN BOUNDARY 10 20 30 40 50 MILES 10 20 30 40 50 Kl LOMETERS FIGURE 1. SUSUTNA RIVER BASIN 0-t. co the Susitna River, enters at RJ1 28. of ice cover thickness to flow depth is usually less than 0.33. A related process also described by Calkins (1983) and often ICE COVER FOID·1ATION PROCESSES observed on the Susitna River is mechan­ ical thickening or shoving of an ice cover Progression of an ice cover on the already in place. This apparently occurs Susitna River begins in late October near due to an instability within the ice cover the mouth at Cook Inlet. Frazil ice pans relative to water velocity and increased from the Yentna River, the middle and upstream water levels which increase the lower Susitna Rivers, and the Talkeetna pressure on the ice cover. A portion of and Chulitna Rivers jam to form a bridge the ice cover that has progressed by near the mouth. This occurs during a high juxtaposition or hydraulic thickening may tide period when the air temperatures are suddenly fail and move downstream, significantly below freezing throughout thickening as the surface area decreases. the basin and frazil ice discharge is The ice cover thickness created by hydrau­ high. After the ice bridge forms, the lic processes is not sufficient to with­ incoming frazil ice accumulates at the stand the forces acting on it during its upstream or leading edge of the ice cover, progression. The ice cover thus breaks or at natural lodgement points such as and moves downstream, being mechanically shallows or islands, and causes the ice thickened until it can withstand the cover to progress upstream. forces imposed on it. The momentum of the The ice cover advances upstream by moving ice mass may cause the ice different mechanisms, depending on the air thicknesses to be greater than the hydrau­ temperature, volume of incoming ice, and lic stability requirement. The ratio of river hydrodynamics. The mechanisms of ice cover thickness to flow depth usually upstream progression have been described exceeds 0. 33. Shoving usually causes a by Calkins (1983). Additional descrip­ downstream progression, sometimes moving tions of these mechanisms may be found in the leading edge downstream as far as 1 Pariset et al (1966) and Ashton (1978). mile (1.61 km). This process usually The mechanisms are described below, along occurs where water velod.ties exceed 4 with observations of processes on the ft/sec. (1.2 m/sec.). Hydraulic thicken­ Susitna River. ing and shoving are the primary processes (1) Progression by juxtaposition of of ice cover advance from RM 25 upstream arriving floes with no subsequent thicken­ to near RM 130. Compressions may occur ing, leading to a rapid ice cover develop­ repeatedly, creating higher upstream water ment. This occurs at water velocities levels and lower velocities, until pro­ less than some critical value required to gression can resume. submerge incoming ice floes below the ice (3) Arriving ~lush floes are com­ cover. On the Susitna River, this has pressed and added to the cover, but some been observed to be approximately 2 ft/sec also submerge and break apart, eventually (0. 6 m/ sec) . Ice cover thickness equals being deposited underneath the ice cover slush floe thickness. On the Susitna further downstream if lower velocities River, this is the predominant process of occur. progression upstream to about RM 25. {4) Arriving slush floes do not Slush ice floes drifting through this accumulate at the ice front, but are reach have been on the water surface and subducted beneath the cover. They may be exposed to cold air temperature long deposited some distance do"t-mstream. en0ugh to form a solid surface layer, The process of undercover deposition significantly strengthening the floes so is difficult to document, but most likely that they resist crushing or breaking occurs on the Susitna River. Juxta­ apart. position and hydraulic thickening seem to (2) Hydraulic thickening, in which be the dominant progression processes on slush floes arriving at the leading edge the Susitna River, with undercover deposi­ thicken to a greater value than the tion and shoving the primary thickening original ice floe thickness. The ice processes. thickness is sufficient to transmit Two other processes are
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