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Advances and Challenges in the Lake, River, and Sea Ice Sciences and Engineering

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water and Climate Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 1650

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Zhijun Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Coastal and Offshore Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
Interests: ice physical and mechanical properties; ice engineering; polar sciences and technology; ecosystem under ice; physical modeling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Weiping Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Center for Soil and Water Environment Research in the Cold and Arid Regions of the Yellow River Basin, Inner Mongolia University of Science & Technology, Baotou 014010, China
Interests: ice growth and decay in freshwater lakes; ice crystal structure; migration and release of ice-water phase pollution factors; frozen environment and ecology in cold regions; freeze–thaw cycle
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Fang Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Civil Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Interests: ice mechanics; ice-structure interaction; ice loads; ice navigation; ship performance in ice
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Zhichao Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Center for Soil and Water Environment Research in the Cold and Arid Regions of the Yellow River Basin, Inner Mongolia University of Science & Technology, Baotou 014010, China
Interests: water environment protection; water ecological restoration; migration and release of ice-water phase pollution factors; frozen environment and ecology in cold regions
Prof. Dr. Zhengyong Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Key Laboratory of Oasis Town and Mountain-Basin System Ecology, College of Science, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832003, China
Interests: glacier change; hydro-ecology; mass balance; climate change; environmental evolution
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are excited to announce a special issue titled "Advances and Challenges in the Lake, River, and Sea Ice Sciences and Engineering" in Water. In 2026, there are two fora for the properties and engineering of lake ice, river ice and sea ice which will be hold in China. One is the 28th International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR) Ice Symposium in June, 2026 and another is the 13rd China National Conference of Ice Engineering in July, 2026. Neither of them will have published proceedings.

In the history of the two conferences, the physical properties andmechanical properties of ice and their application in ice engineering, ice interactions on different types of structures, and ice navigation in lakes, rivers, and seas are basic topics. Icing and snow have also become popular in the two conferences. Under climate change, all elements vary and the corresponding social actions concerned with cryospheric science has increased.  At each conference, around hundred articles are exchanged. Some articles are not only absorbed into conference proceedings but also reach the level to be published in journals. 

This Special Issue aims to publish these articles in MDPI Water. We encourage submissions covering all topics from both conferences, except remote sensing technology, as this topic maybe setup in another Special Issue. Authors who attend or do not attend the conferences are welcome to submit manuscripts before 30 April, 2026. Before your manuscript is submitted, please contact one of the following Guest Editors, who will conduct a preliminary evaluation of your manuscript to verify the quality and application of any potential discounts.

Prof. Dr. Zhijun Li
Prof. Dr. Weiping Li
Dr. Fang Li
Dr. Zhichao Wang
Prof. Dr. Zhengyong Zhang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • lake ice
  • river ice
  • sea ice
  • ice engineering
  • observations and investigations
  • water environment
  • ecology
  • mathematical method
  • numerical modeling
  • physical modeling
  • data analysis
  • machine learning

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 11146 KB  
Article
An Integrated Risk Assessment for Snow Disasters in Jilin Province, China: Insights from Multi-Source Data and GIS Analysis
by Yao Wang, Chongchang Wang, Qian Yang, Shangfeng Li, Yingxin Shang and Xuetong Zhang
Water 2025, 17(23), 3402; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17233402 - 28 Nov 2025
Viewed by 259
Abstract
Snow disasters are severe natural hazards in Jilin Province, China. This research formulated a holistic risk assessment framework which integrates the factors of hazardousness, sensitivity, vulnerability, and disaster prevention and mitigation capacity. Using multi-source data and Geographic Information System (GIS), we evaluated snow [...] Read more.
Snow disasters are severe natural hazards in Jilin Province, China. This research formulated a holistic risk assessment framework which integrates the factors of hazardousness, sensitivity, vulnerability, and disaster prevention and mitigation capacity. Using multi-source data and Geographic Information System (GIS), we evaluated snow disaster risks through 15 selected indicators weighted by the entropy method. Results show high-risk areas primarily concentrated in southeastern mountainous regions, including Jingyu, Fusong, Changbai, and Linjiang. Disaster sensitivity decreases from southeast to northwest, while high-vulnerability zones appear in central urban areas like Changchun. The comprehensive risk generally declines from the southeastern mountains to the northwestern plains. This assessment model effectively reflects snow disaster formation mechanisms and spatial patterns, providing scientific support for disaster prevention and emergency management in Jilin Province. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Challenges in the Lake, River, and Sea Ice Sciences and Engineering)
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23 pages, 9089 KB  
Article
Ice Flexural Properties Using Four-Point Bending Test for the Ice Runway at Huhenuoer Lake
by Qiuming Zhao, Bo Zhang, Ying Wang, Liping Xu, Zhixing Li, Yaodong Li, Xuhui Gong, Xinghua Bao, Jiahuan He, Qingkai Wang and Peng Lu
Water 2025, 17(23), 3363; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17233363 - 25 Nov 2025
Viewed by 320
Abstract
Seasonal lake-ice runways provide low-carbon winter infrastructure for cold-region logistics, yet direct links between ice flexural mechanics and runway design remain scarce. To address this gap, we investigated seasonal ice from Huhenuoer Lake and proposed a mechanics-based methodology for determining key design parameters. [...] Read more.
Seasonal lake-ice runways provide low-carbon winter infrastructure for cold-region logistics, yet direct links between ice flexural mechanics and runway design remain scarce. To address this gap, we investigated seasonal ice from Huhenuoer Lake and proposed a mechanics-based methodology for determining key design parameters. On 14 March 2024, an ice block was hoisted and tested in a cold laboratory after several days. Full-depth investigation revealed that throughout the entire-depth range, the ice consists exclusively of columnar ice with a mean density of 0.89 g/cm3 and a mean grain size of 15.88 mm. Subsequently, four-point bending tests gave an average effective flexural elastic modulus of 3.31 GPa and flexural strength of 2813 kPa. Furthermore, statistical analysis showed both properties decrease with temperature and are lower in higher-porosity specimens. Based on these results, we established a systematic procedure to derive design flexural strength, effective flexural elastic modulus, and ice thickness. When applied to the potential Huhenuoer Lake-ice runway, this method yields values of 2800 kPa, 3.24 GPa, and 30 cm for the An-2 (design flexural strength, design effective flexural elastic modulus, and design ice thickness, respectively); the same method can be used to obtain the corresponding values for other aircraft. As lake ice is locally sourced, recyclable, and temporary, it can serve as a low-carbon material for construction purposes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Challenges in the Lake, River, and Sea Ice Sciences and Engineering)
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18 pages, 3550 KB  
Article
Experimental Study on the Variation Pattern of Saline Ice Microstructure with Temperature
by Haokun Li, Miao Yu, Peng Lu and Qingkai Wang
Water 2025, 17(23), 3343; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17233343 - 21 Nov 2025
Viewed by 385
Abstract
By employing high-resolution imaging and image processing techniques, a quantitative analysis was conducted on the changes in volume fraction and size of microstructures, such as brine inclusions and air bubbles, within natural saline ice at different temperatures. This study revealed the distinct stratified [...] Read more.
By employing high-resolution imaging and image processing techniques, a quantitative analysis was conducted on the changes in volume fraction and size of microstructures, such as brine inclusions and air bubbles, within natural saline ice at different temperatures. This study revealed the distinct stratified distribution characteristics of ice microstructure parameters along the depth direction and elucidated the differential response mechanisms of various ice layers to temperature changes. The results indicate that the sizes of brine inclusions and air bubbles decrease progressively from the surface layer to the bottom layer, with the size distribution of microstructures being most concentrated in the bottom layer. Changes in the size of microstructures in the surface ice layer are primarily dominated by solar radiation, showing strong correlations (brine inclusions: r = 0.96, p < 0.01; air bubbles: r = 0.95, p < 0.02). In contrast, the size changes of microstructures in the middle ice layer show a more significant response to ice temperature, with strong linear relationships between the sizes of brine inclusions/air bubbles and ice temperature (brine inclusions: r = 0.70, p < 0.04; air bubbles: r = 0.69, p < 0.05). The temperature of the bottom ice layer, influenced by the stable lake water temperature, remains relatively constant, and no significant correlation was observed between its microstructure size changes and ice temperature. Derived from field experiments, this study provides quantified, layer-specific mechanisms of how saline ice microstructure responds to temperature. These mechanisms offer crucial observational constraints for refining the parameterizations of ice thermodynamics and albedo feedback in cryosphere and climate system models. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Challenges in the Lake, River, and Sea Ice Sciences and Engineering)
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20 pages, 3706 KB  
Article
Study on the Influence Mechanism of Solar Radiation on the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Artificial Freshwater Ice Based on Indoor Simulation Experiments
by Chunyang Song, Enliang Wang, Xingchao Liu and Hongwei Han
Water 2025, 17(21), 3062; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17213062 - 25 Oct 2025
Viewed by 379
Abstract
In cold regions, solar radiation triggers the spring ablation of river ice layers, thereby changing their physical traits and mechanical behavior. This study uses the Heilongjiang River section near Mohe Arctic Village as the research prototype area. It analyzes the impact of solar [...] Read more.
In cold regions, solar radiation triggers the spring ablation of river ice layers, thereby changing their physical traits and mechanical behavior. This study uses the Heilongjiang River section near Mohe Arctic Village as the research prototype area. It analyzes the impact of solar radiation on ice density and uniaxial compressive strength through indoor simulation tests and multiple regression analysis, aiming to reveal the influence mechanism on uniaxial compressive strength. The results show that after applying a cumulative amount of simulated solar radiation of 84 MJ/m2, the ice density decreases by 3.88%, and the loss rate of uniaxial compressive strength can exceed 50%. Solar radiation promotes the transformation of the uniaxial compressive failure mode from ductile to brittle. The established multiple regression model attains a coefficient of determination of 0.891. In the spring ice-melting period in cold regions, the impact of solar radiation on ice strength should be fully considered in the design of ice condition early warnings and water conservancy projects for ice flood prevention. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Challenges in the Lake, River, and Sea Ice Sciences and Engineering)
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