- There are large variations in the
structure and strength of lake and river ice as a function of weather
(snow, rate of freezing) and the dynamics of lake and rivers
- Because wide rivers are similar to lakes
and there can be turbulent flow (currents) in lakes, lake and river
ice are not mutually exclusive, rather the ice cover on surface water
is best classified as
- Static ice
- Plate ice that forms in still water
or with laminar flow, where vertical heat exchange is limited by a
lack of turbulence (convection); most of the ice on lakes, but
also on rivers near the banks and on quite water (e.g.,
pools)
- Dynamic ice
- Forms by the coalescence of ice pans
on flowing (river) water and lake currents
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