About CRIPE

 

The Committee on River Ice Processes and the Environment derives from a Working Group that was established in 1975 by the Associate Committee on Hydrology (ACH), itself funded by the National Research Council of Canada (NRCC). This working group evolved into a permanent Subcommittee of ACH in 1981. Severe budget cuts at NRCC forced the discontinuation of the associate committees in the early nineties. In 1995, the former River Ice Subcommittee of ACH joined the Canadian Geophysical Union, as a Committee of the Hydrology Section.

 

Initially, the Committee’s work focused on the hydraulic aspects of river ice phenomena, as a means of elucidating the effects of the ice cover on flow characteristics. This scope was gradually expanded to include additional issues of concern, such as ice formation, ice jams, winter operation of hydro-plants, environmental aspects of river ice, and climatic variability and change. The main objectives of the Committee are:

• To identify specific high-priority topics for research and development and promote the undertaking of relevant research programs;

• To facilitate information dissemination and exchange of ideas among practitioners, researchers, and resource managers; and

• To encourage the incorporation of pertinent lectures or courses in undergraduate and graduate studies at Canadian Colleges and Universities.

One of the main Committee activities is the sponsorship of workshops and short courses and the publication of Proceedings. The first river ice workshop was held at Burlington, Ontario, in 1980, and the most recent workshops took place in Hanover, New Hampshire, in 2005 and Quebec City in 2007. Another ongoing activity is the initiation and leadership of Task Forces to work on specific problems and publish their findings. From time to time, the status of knowledge on particular topics is reviewed and research needs are identified. Liaison with river ice work abroad is maintained through formal and informal links.

 

In 1992, the Committee established the Gerard Medal, to honour and remember the many contributions to river ice science by the late Professor Robert (Larry) Gerard who passed away in 1991. The Gerard Medal is awarded biennially to the author(s) of the best paper presented at the preceding River Ice Workshop. The Michel award was established in 2000 to honour the pioneering and varied contributions to ice-related science by Professor Bernard Michel, who is also the first recipient (2001). The Michel award, to be presented at approximately four-year intervals, recognizes outstanding contributions over many years to river ice science and engineering.

 

Background

 

Ice processes play a dominant role in the hydrologic regime of Canadian rivers and are intimately related to the life cycle of many aquatic, terrestrial, and avian species. The most serious impacts of river ice occur during ice-jam flooding, when loss of property and human life may be experienced. Evacuations, and even relocations, of entire communities are often prompted by ice jams. For Canada, it has been estimated that such events are responsible for annual damages of nearly one hundred million dollars. A far greater cost is attributed to missed hydro-power generation opportunities during the winter, owing to constraints imposed by river ice and the lack of pertinent knowledge to deal with them.

 

Aquatic ecosystems have, over time, adapted to the prevailing ice regimes of Canadian rivers. Changes to the ice regime can have serious ecological impacts as, for example, is illustrated by the “drying-up” of the Peace-Athabasca Delta, one of the world’s largest inland freshwater deltas, and home to large populations of waterfowl, muskrat, beaver, and free-ranging wood bison. Flow regulation after 1971 and climatic variations have contributed to less frequent ice-jam flooding of the delta and especially of the 'perched' basins, leading to considerable reduction in aquatic habitat. A capability to anticipate such changes is essential in dealing with the consequences of hydro-power generation, regulated effluents or accidental spills. The issue of global warming sharply underscores these concerns, especially for Canada’s North where resource development is accelerating and climatic changes are expected to be the most pronounced.

 

Despite the socio-economic and environmental importance of river ice processes in many parts of the globe, river ice science is at an early phase of development, and many ice processes are only vaguely understood. The basic aim of the Canadian Committee on River Ice Processes and the Environment is to help bridge this gap.