CGRG Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology
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Author : Fuller, T.
Date : 2007.
Title : Coldwater river ice jam January 19, 2005 Merritt, BC: Conditions and cautions.
Publication : Annual Meeting, Western Division of the Canadian Association of Geographers, March 8-10, 2007. University College of the Fraser Valley, Abbotsford, British Columbia.
Issue : Program and Abstract Volume.
Page(s) : 26.
Abstract
The Coldwater River joins the Nicola River in Merritt, British Columbia. This southern interior river is ice jam susceptible and has had repeated situations of ice build-up, ice runs and jamming causing flooding in the city of Merritt. The Similkameen River, located 80 km south of Merritt, was also subjected to ice jam flooding in January, 2005. Events leading up to this particular river hazard include an extended cold period for river ice thickness to build up, followed by a rapid warming, rainfall, and subsequent rise in stream flow. Prediction of ice jam flooding is challenging, however, based on past experience on the Coldwater River, certain thresholds can be identified. This case study examines the conditions leading up to the January 19th ice run and flooding in Merritt based on climate records, stream flow records and river ice condition. The trigger was a Pacific frontal system from the subtropics that moved through the south coast and into the Coldwater basin. The resulting high temperatures and precipitation caused widespread snowmelt and rising flows causing break-up and ice runs on interior rivers.
Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology