Modeling Freshwater Ice-Cover Temperature under Varying Atmospheric-Air Temperature

The process of temperature field formation in the ice-cover thickness is modeled by the heat-conduction equation, the solution of which required parametrization of boundary conditions at the interface with the atmosphere and water mass, allowing for an analytical solution. The most difficult issue in this respect is the condition at the interface with water, where crystallization occurs, as a result of which heat is released and the thickness of the ice increases (Stefan’s condition). This problem was solved by parameterization of the dependence of the ice-freezing rate on air temperature and ice thickness on the basis of observations of the ice cover of Siberian rivers. The obtained analytical solution is compared with field measurements of temperature in the ice cover and the growth rate of its thickness on the Amur River.