CGRG Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology
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Author : Andres, D.
Date : 1994
Title : Peace River ice regime : an interim report.
Publication : Mackenzie Basin Impact Study (MBIS), interim report #2 : proceedings of the Sixth Biennial AES/DIAND Meeting on Northern Climate & Mid Study Workshop of the Mackenize Basin Impact Study, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, April 10-14, 1994. S. J. Cohen (Ed.), Downsview, Ont.
Issue :
Page(s) : 237-245.
Abstract
If climate change becomes a reality, the effect on the ice regime of the Peace River could be significant. This is extremely important because the Peace River is one of the main tributaries of the Mackenzie River and the river plays a major role in defining the water resource-related constraints in northeastern British Colombia and northwestern Alberta. The river is normally ice-affected for about seven months of the year, in one reach or another between the WAC Bennett Dam and the Slave River. The ice regime, and particularly the time of freeze-up, is a function of both the climate and the discharge in the river, the latter which depends on the way Lake Williston is managed. Therefore, changes in either the temperature regime or the discharge in the river will have dramatic effects on the timing of freeze-up and ultimately on the ice regime for the entire year. This would have negative implications on the winter transportation network, because ice bridges provide the only access across the river at many locations; and a positive impact on water quality, because ice cover dramatically reduces reaeration at the air/water interface. The effect on water levels in the Athabasca Delta, because ice-related floods are a major factor in maintaining high water levels in the delta, is not yet determined. Finally, the microclimate will change in some areas of the Peace River valley, because it is possible that a stable ice cover may not form in some areas.
Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology