Author(s): P. I. Buharitsin
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Ice drift; Hummocking; Ice-exaration influence; Bottom relief
Abstract: The results of many years investigations of ice regime of freezing shallow waters of the South of Eurasia (the sea of Azov, the Northern part of the Caspian sea-lake, the Aral sea, lake Balkhash) suggest that, despite significant differences in their hydrological regime, the processes of ice formation and dynamic processes in the ice cover of these waterbodies have similar features. It is established that changes in the ice cover and ice thickness are influenced by the same factors. It enables to predict not only the thickness of the ice, the average ice coverage of these waterbodies, but other, more important characteristics of the ice regime, such as ice movements and ice drift, hummocking, areas of compressions and rarefactions, the formation of stamukhas (grounded ice hummocks), etc. A characteristic feature of the ice regime of all the above mentioned shallow water bodies is the presence of drifting ice in the winter period, intensive movements and hummocking of ice under the influence of external forces (wind, currents), and, as a consequence, the interaction of rafted and hummocked ice with the bottom and banks. These features play an important role in the relief formation of bottom and banks of these water bodies, and refer to the main relief-forming factors. In conditions of intensively growing economic activity, the importance and significance of ice research will steadily increase.
Year: 2016