DynaRICE Modeling to Assess the Effect of the 1984 Ice Jam on Possible Bed Changes

in the St. Clair River

Tomasz Kolerski and Hung Tao Shen

St. Clair River is not an ordinary, (“normal”), river Water level cannot exceed the level of Lake Michigan-HuronBeltaos (2009)

Decline in Head Difference between Lake Michigan-Huron and Lake Erie

• The head difference, or lake-to-lake fall, between Lake Michigan-Huron and Lake Erie declined by about 62 cm between 1860 and 2006;

• St. Clair River’s conveyance changed rapidly in the mid-1980s,

Conveyance of St. Clair River

Monthly Conveyance from Dunn Paper to Mouth of Black River Daly(2009)

Conveyance of St. Clair River

Monthly Conveyance from Mouth of Black River to Dry Dock Daly(2009)

Conveyance of St. Clair River

Monthly Conveyance from Dry Dock to St. Clair State Police Daly(2009)

Conveyance of St. Clair River

Monthly Conveyance from St. Clair State Police to Algonac Daly(2009)

1984 Ice Jam

One of possible cause of the decline in the head difference between Lake Michigan-Huron and Lake Erie since 1962 is a major ice jam on the St. Clair River in April 1984

Available evidence is not sufficient to justify a conclusion that the 1984 jam was indeed the cause of the change

1984 Ice Jam

• Duration of 24 days • Produced major impact on navigation (estimated

losses $1.7M a day)• Lake St. Clair water levels dropped about 0.6 m• Flow reduced by approx. 65%• Water velocity reduced by about 50%

Algonac

Marysville

St Clair

Sarnia

MIddleChannel

North Channel

SouthChannel

Chenal Ecarle

St. Clair Cutoff

Channel A Bout Round

St. Clair Flats CanalBassetChannel

Distance [m]4130000 4140000 4150000 4160000 4170000

100000

120000

140000

160000

174173172171170169168167166165164163162161160

BedElevation [m]

Port Lambton

Algonac

St Clair S.P.

Mouth of theBlack River

Dry Dock

Point EdwardFort Gratiot

Marysville

St Clair

St ClairShores

Dunn Paper

Sarnia

Distance [m]4120000 4130000 4140000 4150000 4160000 4170000 4180000

100000

110000

120000

130000

140000

150000

160000

170000

St. Clair River Gauges

Station NameLatitude

[m]Longitude

[m]

St. Clair Shores 4122308.4 109196.0

Algonac 4150907.4 126147.9

Port Lambton 4152453.6 130440.9

St. Clair State Police 4153803.5 147507.0

Dry Dock 4156918.7 162330.1

Mouth of the Black River 4158681.6 165518.7

Point Edward 4158603.5 167430.5

Dunn Paper 4158514.8 168817.4

Fort Gratiot 4158484.3 169156.2

Model CalibrationE

leva

tion

[m]

Mar-24 Mar-25 Mar-26 Mar-27 Mar-28175.5

176

176.5

177 Fort Gratiot

Pt. Edward

Dunn Paper

Dry Dock

St. Clair State Police

Pt. Lambton

St. Clair Shores

Algonac

Mouth of the Black River

Observatied dataSimulated results

Bed Manning's Coefficients

0

0.005

0.01

0.015

0.02

0.025

0.03

0.035

0.04

0.045

0.05

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

Km from Ft. Gratiot

Man

nin

g's

n v

alu

e

1. HEC RAS 1984 calibration using the 2007 batymetry (Giovanettonne 2008)

2. HEC RAS 1968 calibration using the 1971 batymetry (Giovanettonne 2008)

3. RMA2 Phase 1 (Bruxer, Thompson 2008)

1

2

4

3

4. DynaRICE 1984 calibration using the 1971 batymetry

Km from Ft. Gratiot

Ma

nn

ing

'sn

valu

e

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 450

0.005

0.01

0.015

0.02

0.025

0.03

0.035

0.04

0.045

0.05

HEC RAS 1984 calibration using the 2007 batymetry (Giovanettonne 2008)HEC RAS 1968 calibration using the 1971 batymetry (Giovanettonne 2008)RMA2 Phase 1 (Bruxer, Thompson 2008)DynaRICE 1984 calibration using the 1971 batym

Mo

uth

of

Bla

ckR

iver

Du

nn

Pap

er

Alg

on

ac

Pt.

Ed

war

d

Dry

Do

ck

St.

Cla

irS

P

Pt.

Lam

bto

n

Bed Manning's Coefficients

St. Clair River Gauges

HEC-RAS

RMA2 DynaRICE1971-bathymetry

2001-bathymetry

Ft. Gratiot -Dunn Paper 0.019 0.0341 0.037037 0.028

Dunn Paper - Pt. Edward 0.0389 0.036 0.037037 0.020

Pt. Edward - Mouth of Black River 0.005 0.0213 0.037037 0.019

Mouth of Black River - Dry Dock 0.0244 0.024 0.037037 0.020

Dry Dock - St. Clair S.P. 

0.0235 0.0263 0.021936 0.021

0.0259 0.0295 0.028663 0.021

St. Clair S.P. - Pt. Lambton  

0.0223 0.0247 0.028663 0.0215

0.0229 0.0252 0.028663 0.0215

0.0241 0.0265 0.022539 0.0215

Pt. Lambton - Algonac 0.0269 0.0241 0.022539 0.023

Algonac - St. Clair Shores 0.0269 0.0241 0.022539 0.024

1984 Ice Jam Water Level Data

174.5

175

175.5

176

176.5

177

177.5

1-Apr 4-Apr 7-Apr 10-Apr 13-Apr 16-Apr 19-Apr 22-Apr 25-Apr 28-Apr 1-May 4-May 7-May

Wat

er le

vel [

m]

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

Wat

er D

isch

arg

e [m

3/s

]

Fort Gratiot MBR St. Clair SP Pt LambtonAlgonac ST. Clair Shores Series5

Pt. Lambton

Algonac

St Clair ShoresDownstream Boundary

Ft.GratiotQ [m3/s] Upstream Boundary

Ft. Gratiot

MBR

St. Clair SP

Ice Discharge

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

Apr-1 Apr-2 Apr-3 Apr-4 Apr-5 Apr-6 Apr-7 Apr-8 Apr-9 Apr-10

Ice

Dis

char

ge

[m3 /s

]

Ice Formation in St. Clair Flats

Algonac

MIddle Channel

North Channel

SouthChannel

Distance [m]4140000 4145000 4150000

120000

122000

124000

126000

32.82.62.42.221.81.61.41.210.80.60.40.20

Ice Thckness [m]

Apr-02 7:00 am

Ice Velocity1.0 [m/s]

Ice Formation in St. Clair Flats

Algonac

MIddle Channel

North Channel

SouthChannel

Channel ABout Round

Distance [m]4140000 4145000 4150000

120000

122000

124000

126000

32.82.62.42.221.81.61.41.210.80.60.40.20

Ice Thckness [m]

Apr-05 6:00 am

Ice Velocity1.0 [m/s]

Ice Formation in St. Clair Flats

Algonac

MIddle Channel

North Channel

SouthChannel

Channel ABout Round

Distance [m]4140000 4145000 4150000

120000

122000

124000

126000

32.82.62.42.221.81.61.41.210.80.60.40.20

Ice Thckness [m]

Apr-05 12:00 pm

Ice Velocity1.0 [m/s]

Ice Formation in St. Clair Flats

Port Lambton

Algonac

MIddle Channel

North Channel

SouthChannel

Channel ABout Round

St Clair Cutoff

St Clair FlatsCanal

Distance [m]4140000 4145000 4150000

120000

125000

32.82.62.42.221.81.61.41.210.80.60.40.20

Ice Thckness [m]

Apr-06 2:00 pm

Ice Velocity1.0 [m/s]

Ice Formation in St. Clair River

St.C

lair

SP

Alg

on

ac

Marysville MB

R

St.C

lair

SP

Alg

on

ac

Marysville MB

R

St.C

lair

SP

Alg

on

ac

Marysville MB

R

Distance [km]

Ele

vatio

n[m

]

Wa

ter

Ve

loci

ty[m

/s]

020406080

160

165

170

175

180

0

2

4

6

8

10Apr-08 12:00 pmApr-08 12:00 pmApr-08 12:00 pm

St.C

lair

SP

Alg

on

ac

Marysville MB

R

Distance [km]

Ele

vatio

n[m

]

Wa

ter

Ve

loci

ty[m

/s]

020406080

160

165

170

175

180

0

2

4

6

8

10

Ice Simulations, W.S. ElevationIce Simulations, Water VelocityApril 1, Open Water W.S. elevationApril 1, Open Water, Water velocityBed Elevation

Apr-08 12:00 pm

Ice Formation in St. Clair River

St.

Cla

irS

P

Alg

on

ac

Marysville MB

R

Distance [km]

Ele

vatio

n[m

]

Wa

ter

Ve

loci

ty[m

/s]

020406080

160

165

170

175

180

0

2

4

6

8

10Hour 1:00:00Hour 1:00:00Hour 2:00:00Hour 3:00:00Hour 4:00:00Hour 5:00:00Hour 6:00:00Hour 7:00:00Hour 8:00:00Hour 9:00:00Hour 10:00:00Hour 11:00:00Hour 12:00:00Hour 13:00:00Hour 14:00:00Hour 15:00:00Hour 16:00:00Hour 17:00:00Hour 18:00:00Hour 19:00:00Hour 20:00:00Hour 21:00:00Hour 22:00:00Hour 23:00:00Hour 24:00:00Hour 25:00:00Hour 26:00:00Hour 27:00:00Hour 28:00:00Hour 29:00:00Hour 30:00:00Hour 31:00:00Hour 32:00:00Hour 33:00:00Hour 34:00:00Hour 35:00:00Hour 36:00:00Hour 37:00:00Hour 38:00:00Hour 39:00:00Hour 40:00:00Hour 41:00:00Hour 42:00:00Hour 43:00:00Hour 44:00:00Hour 45:00:00Hour 46:00:00Hour 47:00:00Hour 48:00:00Hour 49:00:00Hour 50:00:00Hour 1:00:00Hour 1:00:00Hour 2:00:00Hour 3:00:00Hour 4:00:00Hour 5:00:00Hour 6:00:00Hour 7:00:00Hour 8:00:00Hour 9:00:00Hour 10:00:00Hour 11:00:00Hour 12:00:00Hour 13:00:00Hour 14:00:00Hour 15:00:00Hour 16:00:00Hour 17:00:00Hour 18:00:00Hour 19:00:00Hour 20:00:00Hour 21:00:00Hour 22:00:00Hour 23:00:00Hour 24:00:00Hour 25:00:00Hour 26:00:00Hour 27:00:00Hour 28:00:00Hour 29:00:00Hour 30:00:00Hour 31:00:00Hour 32:00:00Hour 33:00:00Hour 34:00:00Hour 35:00:00Hour 36:00:00Hour 37:00:00Hour 38:00:00Hour 39:00:00Hour 40:00:00Hour 41:00:00Hour 42:00:00Hour 43:00:00Hour 44:00:00Hour 45:00:00Hour 46:00:00Hour 47:00:00Hour 48:00:00Hour 49:00:00Hour 50:00:00Hour 51:00:00Hour 52:00:00Hour 53:00:00Hour 54:00:00Hour 55:00:00Hour 56:00:00Hour 57:00:00Hour 58:00:00Hour 59:00:00Hour 60:00:00Hour 61:00:00Hour 62:00:00Hour 63:00:00Hour 64:00:00Hour 65:00:00Hour 66:00:00Hour 67:00:00Hour 68:00:00Hour 69:00:00Hour 70:00:00Hour 71:00:00Hour 72:00:00Hour 73:00:00Hour 74:00:00Hour 75:00:00Hour 76:00:00Hour 77:00:00Hour 78:00:00Hour 79:00:00Hour 80:00:00Hour 81:00:00Hour 82:00:00Hour 83:00:00Hour 84:00:00Hour 85:00:00Hour 86:00:00Hour 87:00:00Hour 88:00:00Hour 89:00:00Hour 90:00:00Hour 91:00:00Hour 92:00:00Hour 93:00:00Hour 94:00:00Hour 95:00:00Hour 96:00:00Hour 97:00:00Hour 98:00:00Hour 99:00:00Hour 100:00:00Hour 101:00:00Hour 102:00:00Hour 103:00:00Hour 104:00:00Hour 105:00:00Hour 106:00:00Hour 107:00:00Hour 108:00:00Hour 109:00:00Hour 110:00:00Hour 111:00:00Hour 112:00:00Hour 113:00:00Hour 114:00:00Hour 115:00:00Hour 116:00:00Hour 117:00:00Hour 118:00:00Hour 119:00:00Hour 120:00:00Hour 1:00:00Hour 191:00:00Hour 198:00:00Hour 202:00:00Hour 203:00:00

St.

Cla

irS

P

Alg

on

ac

Distance [km]

Ele

vatio

n[m

]

Wa

ter

Ve

loci

ty[m

/s]

020406080

160

165

170

175

180

0

2

4

6

8

10

Ice Simulations, W.S. ElevationIce Simulations, Water VelocityApril 1, Open Water W.S. elevationApril 1, Open Water, Water velocityBed Elevation

April-09, 11:00 am

Ice Jam Formation

174

174.5

175

175.5

176

176.5

177

177.5

1-Apr-84 3-Apr-84 5-Apr-84 7-Apr-84 9-Apr-84 11-Apr-84 13-Apr-84 15-Apr-84 17-Apr-84

Wat

er le

vel [

m]

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

Wat

er D

isch

arg

e [m

3/s

]

Series4 Series6

Series7 Series9

Series11 Series13

Fort Gratiot MBR

St. Clair SP Pt Lambton

Algonac ST. Clair Shores

Series5

Pt. Lambton

Algonac

St Clair ShoresDownstream Boundary

Ft.GratiotQ [m3/s] Upstream Boundary

Ft. Gratiot

MBR

St. Clair State Police

Observed Water Level Data Simulated Water Level

Ft. GratiotSt. Clair SPAlgonac

MBRPt. LambtonSt. Clair Shores

Ice Formation

Animation

Bed Shear Stress

2

22

2

22 21

21

;H

qqqc

H

qqqc yxy

fbyyxx

fbx

g

H

nc

b

bf 31

2

cf = friction coefficient;

ρ = water density; qx,y = components of unit width water discharge;

H' = water depth beneath the ice layer.

b = fraction of the total water flow depth affected by the bed friction);

nb = bed Manning's coefficient;

g = gravitational acceleration.

Bed Shear Stress109876543210

Bed ShearStress [Pa]

April 1Open Water

109876543210

Bed ShearStress [Pa]

April 1 - April 15

32.62.21.81.410.60.20

-0.2-0.6-1

Increase ofBed ShearStress [Pa]

Ice Jam Release

-5

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Apr-01 Apr-04 Apr-07 Apr-10 Apr-13 Apr-16 Apr-19 Apr-22 Apr-25 Apr-28 May-01 May-04 May-07

Air

tem

per

atu

re [

oC

]

Sarnia

Windsor

Ice Release

Water Level Data

174

174.5

175

175.5

176

176.5

177

177.5

27-Apr 28-Apr 29-Apr 30-Apr 1-May 2-May 3-May 4-May

Wat

er

leve

l [m

]

-1000

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

Wat

er

Dis

cha

rge

[m3/s

]

Series4 Fort Gratiot

MBR St. Clair SP

Pt Lambton Algonac

ST. Clair Shores Series5

Ft.GratiotQ [m3/s] Upstream Boundary

Observed Water Level Data

Ice Jam at Pt. Lmabton

ReleaseBeginning of Ice Jam Release Open Water

Ice Jam Release

St.

Cla

irS

P

Alg

on

ac

Marysville MB

R

Distance [km]

Ele

vatio

n[m

]

Wa

ter

Ve

loci

ty[m

/s]

020406080

160

165

170

175

180

0

2

4

6

8

10Hour 1:00:00Hour 1:00:00Hour 2:00:00Hour 3:00:00Hour 4:00:00Hour 5:00:00Hour 6:00:00Hour 7:00:00Hour 8:00:00Hour 9:00:00Hour 10:00:00Hour 11:00:00Hour 12:00:00Hour 13:00:00Hour 14:00:00Hour 15:00:00Hour 16:00:00Hour 17:00:00Hour 18:00:00Hour 19:00:00Hour 20:00:00Hour 21:00:00Hour 22:00:00Hour 23:00:00Hour 24:00:00Hour 25:00:00Hour 26:00:00Hour 27:00:00Hour 28:00:00Hour 29:00:00Hour 30:00:00Hour 31:00:00Hour 32:00:00Hour 33:00:00Hour 34:00:00Hour 35:00:00Hour 36:00:00Hour 37:00:00Hour 38:00:00Hour 39:00:00Hour 40:00:00Hour 41:00:00Hour 42:00:00Hour 43:00:00Hour 44:00:00Hour 45:00:00Hour 46:00:00Hour 47:00:00Hour 48:00:00Hour 49:00:00Hour 50:00:00Hour 1:00:00Hour 1:00:00Hour 2:00:00Hour 3:00:00Hour 4:00:00Hour 5:00:00Hour 6:00:00Hour 7:00:00Hour 8:00:00Hour 9:00:00Hour 10:00:00Hour 11:00:00Hour 12:00:00Hour 13:00:00Hour 14:00:00Hour 15:00:00Hour 16:00:00Hour 17:00:00Hour 18:00:00Hour 19:00:00Hour 20:00:00Hour 21:00:00Hour 22:00:00Hour 23:00:00Hour 24:00:00Hour 25:00:00Hour 26:00:00Hour 27:00:00Hour 28:00:00Hour 29:00:00Hour 30:00:00Hour 31:00:00Hour 32:00:00Hour 33:00:00Hour 34:00:00Hour 35:00:00Hour 36:00:00Hour 37:00:00Hour 38:00:00Hour 39:00:00Hour 40:00:00Hour 41:00:00Hour 42:00:00Hour 43:00:00Hour 44:00:00Hour 45:00:00Hour 46:00:00Hour 47:00:00Hour 48:00:00Hour 49:00:00Hour 50:00:00Hour 51:00:00Hour 52:00:00Hour 53:00:00Hour 54:00:00Hour 55:00:00Hour 56:00:00Hour 57:00:00Hour 58:00:00Hour 59:00:00Hour 60:00:00Hour 61:00:00Hour 62:00:00Hour 63:00:00Hour 64:00:00Hour 65:00:00Hour 66:00:00Hour 67:00:00Hour 68:00:00Hour 69:00:00Hour 70:00:00Hour 71:00:00Hour 72:00:00Hour 73:00:00Hour 74:00:00Hour 75:00:00Hour 76:00:00Hour 77:00:00Hour 78:00:00Hour 79:00:00Hour 80:00:00Hour 81:00:00Hour 82:00:00Hour 83:00:00Hour 84:00:00Hour 85:00:00Hour 86:00:00Hour 87:00:00Hour 88:00:00Hour 89:00:00Hour 90:00:00Hour 91:00:00Hour 92:00:00Hour 93:00:00Hour 94:00:00Hour 95:00:00Hour 96:00:00Hour 97:00:00Hour 98:00:00Hour 99:00:00Hour 100:00:00Hour 101:00:00Hour 102:00:00Hour 103:00:00Hour 104:00:00Hour 105:00:00Hour 106:00:00Hour 107:00:00Hour 108:00:00Hour 109:00:00Hour 110:00:00Hour 111:00:00Hour 112:00:00Hour 113:00:00Hour 114:00:00Hour 115:00:00Hour 116:00:00Hour 117:00:00Hour 118:00:00Hour 119:00:00Hour 120:00:00Hour 1:00:00Hour 24:00:00Hour 57:00:00Hour 16:00:00Hour 20:00:00Hour 36:00:00Hour 30:00:00Hour 13:00:00Hour 30:00:00Hour 39:00:00Hour 30:00:00Hour 39:00:00Hour 30:00:00

St.

Cla

irS

P

Alg

on

ac

Pt.

Lam

bto

n

Distance [km]

Ele

vatio

n[m

]

Wa

ter

Ve

loci

ty[m

/s]

020406080

160

165

170

175

180

0

2

4

6

8

10

Ice Simulations, W.S. ElevationIce Simulations, Water VelocityMay 1, Open Water W.S. elevationMay 1, Open Water, Water velocity

April-09, 11:00 amHour 13:00:00Hour 31:00:00Hour 36:00:00April-29, 05:00 am

Ice Jam Release

St.

Cla

irS

P

Alg

on

ac

Marysville MB

R

Distance [km]

Ele

vatio

n[m

]

Wa

ter

Ve

loci

ty[m

/s]

020406080

160

165

170

175

180

0

2

4

6

8

10Hour 1:00:00Hour 1:00:00Hour 2:00:00Hour 3:00:00Hour 4:00:00Hour 5:00:00Hour 6:00:00Hour 7:00:00Hour 8:00:00Hour 9:00:00Hour 10:00:00Hour 11:00:00Hour 12:00:00Hour 13:00:00Hour 14:00:00Hour 15:00:00Hour 16:00:00Hour 17:00:00Hour 18:00:00Hour 19:00:00Hour 20:00:00Hour 21:00:00Hour 22:00:00Hour 23:00:00Hour 24:00:00Hour 25:00:00Hour 26:00:00Hour 27:00:00Hour 28:00:00Hour 29:00:00Hour 30:00:00Hour 31:00:00Hour 32:00:00Hour 33:00:00Hour 34:00:00Hour 35:00:00Hour 36:00:00Hour 37:00:00Hour 38:00:00Hour 39:00:00Hour 40:00:00Hour 41:00:00Hour 42:00:00Hour 43:00:00Hour 44:00:00Hour 45:00:00Hour 46:00:00Hour 47:00:00Hour 48:00:00Hour 49:00:00Hour 50:00:00Hour 1:00:00Hour 1:00:00Hour 2:00:00Hour 3:00:00Hour 4:00:00Hour 5:00:00Hour 6:00:00Hour 7:00:00Hour 8:00:00Hour 9:00:00Hour 10:00:00Hour 11:00:00Hour 12:00:00Hour 13:00:00Hour 14:00:00Hour 15:00:00Hour 16:00:00Hour 17:00:00Hour 18:00:00Hour 19:00:00Hour 20:00:00Hour 21:00:00Hour 22:00:00Hour 23:00:00Hour 24:00:00Hour 25:00:00Hour 26:00:00Hour 27:00:00Hour 28:00:00Hour 29:00:00Hour 30:00:00Hour 31:00:00Hour 32:00:00Hour 33:00:00Hour 34:00:00Hour 35:00:00Hour 36:00:00Hour 37:00:00Hour 38:00:00Hour 39:00:00Hour 40:00:00Hour 41:00:00Hour 42:00:00Hour 43:00:00Hour 44:00:00Hour 45:00:00Hour 46:00:00Hour 47:00:00Hour 48:00:00Hour 49:00:00Hour 50:00:00Hour 51:00:00Hour 52:00:00Hour 53:00:00Hour 54:00:00Hour 55:00:00Hour 56:00:00Hour 57:00:00Hour 58:00:00Hour 59:00:00Hour 60:00:00Hour 61:00:00Hour 62:00:00Hour 63:00:00Hour 64:00:00Hour 65:00:00Hour 66:00:00Hour 67:00:00Hour 68:00:00Hour 69:00:00Hour 70:00:00Hour 71:00:00Hour 72:00:00Hour 73:00:00Hour 74:00:00Hour 75:00:00Hour 76:00:00Hour 77:00:00Hour 78:00:00Hour 79:00:00Hour 80:00:00Hour 81:00:00Hour 82:00:00Hour 83:00:00Hour 84:00:00Hour 85:00:00Hour 86:00:00Hour 87:00:00Hour 88:00:00Hour 89:00:00Hour 90:00:00Hour 91:00:00Hour 92:00:00Hour 93:00:00Hour 94:00:00Hour 95:00:00Hour 96:00:00Hour 97:00:00Hour 98:00:00Hour 99:00:00Hour 100:00:00Hour 101:00:00Hour 102:00:00Hour 103:00:00Hour 104:00:00Hour 105:00:00Hour 106:00:00Hour 107:00:00Hour 108:00:00Hour 109:00:00Hour 110:00:00Hour 111:00:00Hour 112:00:00Hour 113:00:00Hour 114:00:00Hour 115:00:00Hour 116:00:00Hour 117:00:00Hour 118:00:00Hour 119:00:00Hour 120:00:00Hour 1:00:00Hour 24:00:00Hour 57:00:00Hour 16:00:00Hour 20:00:00Hour 36:00:00Hour 30:00:00Hour 13:00:00Hour 30:00:00Hour 39:00:00Hour 30:00:00Hour 39:00:00

St.

Cla

irS

P

Alg

on

ac

Pt.

Lam

bto

n

Distance [km]

Ele

vatio

n[m

]

Wa

ter

Ve

loci

ty[m

/s]

020406080

160

165

170

175

180

0

2

4

6

8

10

Ice Simulations, W.S. ElevationIce Simulations, Water VelocityMay 1, Open Water W.S. elevationMay 1, Open Water, Water velocity

April-09, 11:00 amHour 13:00:00Hour 31:00:00Hour 36:00:00April-29, 03:00 pm

Ice Jam Release

174

174.5

175

175.5

176

176.5

177

177.5

27-Apr 28-Apr 29-Apr 30-Apr 1-May 2-May

Wat

er le

vel [

m]

Series4 Series6

Series7 Series9

Series11 Series13

Fort Gratiot MBR

St. Clair SP Pt Lambton

Algonac ST. Clair Shores

Observed Water Level Data Simulated Water Level

Ft. GratiotSt. Clair SPAlgonac

MBRPt. LambtonSt. Clair Shores

Ice Jam at Pt. Lmabton

Release

Beginning of Ice Jam Release

Open Water

Ice Jam Release

Animation

109876543210

Bed ShearStress [Pa]

May 1Open Water

109876543210

Bed ShearStress [Pa]

April 28 - May 1

21.71.41.10.80.50.20

-0.1-0.4-0.7-1

Increase ofBed ShearStress [Pa]

Conclusions

• The results from DynaRICE simulations indicated that the ice jam in the river did not cause a significant increase in bed shear stress compared to pre- and post-jam open water conditions

• This is reasonable since the backwater effect of the jam was not significant as it is constrained by the limited level difference between Lake Huron and Lake St. Clair and the large depth of river flow relative to the jam thickness

• One possible indirect contribution of ice jams to the conveyance increase is the excess water stored in Lake Huron during a jam (Derecki and Quinn 1986). This increase in water storage increases the lake water level to produce larger discharge into the St. Clair River, which may have caused a gradual increase in conveyance

Thanks!