An overview of river ice problems: CRIPE07 guest editorial

This special issue of the Journal of Cold Regions Science and Technology presents selected papers emanating from the 14th River Ice Workshop hosted by the Canadian Geophysical Union — Hydrology Section's (CGU-HS) Committee on River Ice Processes and the Environment (CRIPE) in Quebec City, Canada in June 2007. Eight papers in total are presented in this issue, covering the complete ice season from freeze-up to breakup, encompassing field, experimental and numerical investigations, and representing the latest advances in knowledge of river ice processes and dynamics. As an introduction for those readers new to the field of river ice engineering, this introductory paper provides an overview of the river ice cycle, highlighting both the typical and the unusual phenomena encountered. From frazil ice to ice jams, this is truly a dynamic and fascinating research field and it is our hope that these papers will encourage readers to renew or initiate their own river ice research endeavours. The Committee on River Ice Processes and the Environment (CRIPE) extends its sincere thanks to the Journal of Cold Regions Science and Technology for making the Special Issue on River Ice possible.