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

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 7008

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Editors

Prof. Dr. Zhijun Li

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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
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Prof. Dr. Weiping Li

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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
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Dr. Fang Li

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Guest Editor

School of 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
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Prof. 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
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Prof. Dr. Zhengyong Zhang

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Guest Editor

School of Resources and Environment, Yili Normal University, Yining 835000, 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-anonymized 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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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 7579 KB

Open AccessArticle

Potential Impact of Interannual Variation in April Sea Ice of Barents–Kara Seas on Meiyu Length over the Yangtze–Huaihe River Basin, China

by Xuejie Zhao, Ziyi Song, Miao Liang, Wenda Xu, Xiaoqi Zhang and Zhunan Liu

Water 2026, 18(11), 1356; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18111356 - 3 Jun 2026

Viewed by 403

Abstract

The Meiyu season over the Yangtze–Huaihe River Basin exhibits pronounced interannual variability and directly reflects the persistence of the East Asian summer rainband. This study examined the relationship between the preceding April sea ice anomaly of the Barents–Kara seas and Meiyu length during 1979–2023 based on CN05.1 precipitation, ERA5, HadISST sea ice concentration datasets, and Indo-Pacific SST index. A statistically significant inverse relationship was identified between the interannual Meiyu Length and the preceding April Barents–Kara seas sea ice anomaly, with the strongest signal located over the core Barents–Kara seas sector and a filtered Barents–Kara seas sea ice index–Meiyu length index correlation coefficient of −0.662. Composite and regression analyses demonstrated that reduced interannual April Barents–Kara seas sea ice concentration is associated with a downstream Rossby-wave-like upper-tropospheric circulation pattern, leading to a clearer upper-level potential vorticity band and an intensified westerly jet that generates increased convergence over the Yangtze–Huaihe River Basin. Additionally, the north-low–south-high circulation contrast over the East Asian–western North Pacific sector during years with a longer Meiyu period, associated with an interannual reduction in the Barents–Kara seas sea ice index, contributes to enhanced moisture convergence and convection that drive stronger ascent over the Yangtze–Huaihe River Basin, favoring a more persistent Meiyu rainband and a longer Meiyu period. 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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25 pages, 3543 KB

Open AccessArticle

Seasonal Prediction of the Bohai Sea Ice Grade: A Multi-Model Intercomparison

by Donglin Guo, Xinyou Zhang, Xue Chen, Song Gao, Yiding Zhao, Ge Li and Qiaokun Hou

Water 2026, 18(10), 1242; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18101242 - 21 May 2026

Viewed by 402

Abstract

Even under a warming climate, winter sea ice in the Bohai Sea continues to threaten ships and offshore/coastal infrastructure. Reliable pre-season prediction of the overall wintertime sea ice condition in the Bohai Sea, as represented by the Bohai Sea Ice Grade (BSIG), is therefore important for disaster preparedness and mitigation. Based on the 1979–2024 BSIG record, this study compares seven statistical and AI-based seasonal prediction methods: analog year analysis, multiple linear regression, stepwise regression, Principal Component Regression, a cross-correlation-based regression model, support vector regression, and the Bayesian Ensemble Bohai Ice Grade Net (BE-BIGNet). As potential precursors, we considered sea ice extent in 14 Arctic regions together with 114 large-scale atmospheric and oceanic circulation indices. The results suggest substantial differences in predictive skill among the methods. Among the tested approaches, BE-BIGNet, which combines Bayesian regularization with bootstrap median ensembling, achieves strong full-period performance and stable skill during the independent test period, suggesting that it may provide a useful framework for operational BSIG forecasting in the Bohai Sea. 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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25 pages, 16852 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Noise on Machine Learning-Based Lake Ice Detection on Lake Śniardwy Using Sentinel-1 SAR Data

by Augustyn Crane and Mariusz Sojka

Water 2026, 18(8), 890; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18080890 - 8 Apr 2026

Viewed by 754

Abstract

Lake ice monitoring is critical for assessing climate change, but in-situ observations are often limited. Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data is a strong method for ice detection because it is not restricted by cloud cover and it is readily available. However, SAR-based classification can be affected by atmospheric and surface-related noise. This study examines the impact of noise on machine learning-based lake ice detection over Lake Śniardwy, Poland, using Sentinel-1 Vertical-Vertical (VV) and Vertical-Horizontal (VH) backscatter data. Binary logistic regression models were trained on scenes with strong class separability between ice and water and then validated on separate low- and high-noise datasets. The models achieved high accuracy under low-noise scenes, reaching up to 96.9%, but performed poorly on high-noise scenes. The results show that wind-related surface roughness and associated atmospheric conditions can significantly reduce classification reliability. Comparison with backscatter from a nearby coniferous forest confirmed that the main disturbances were concentrated over the lake surface. The study highlights the importance of careful scene selection and noise assessment in SAR-based lake ice classification. 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, 7828 KB

Open AccessArticle

Characteristics of Ice Drift Movement and Assessment of Ice Jam Susceptibility in the Upper Heilongjiang River During the Spring Ice Jam Breakup Period

by Zhi Liu, Xiangbo Tan, Hao Yu, Yu Li and Hongwei Han

Water 2026, 18(4), 450; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18040450 - 9 Feb 2026

Viewed by 725

Abstract

The presence of ice cover significantly alters the hydraulic characteristics of river channels, and the evolutionary law of ice drift velocity is crucial for understanding the ice-jam floods (IJFs) formation mechanism during the spring IJFs breakup period. Based on miniature ice buoy locators and Sentinel-2 satellite remote sensing data, this study systematically analyzes the channel characteristics of the upper Heilongjiang River and the regulatory effect of channel morphology on ice drift velocity. The results show that the river width of the upper Heilongjiang River exhibits a widening trend, with a variation range of 212 to 1292 m, characterized by large longitudinal dispersion and significant spatial variability. During the 2024 spring IJFs breakup period, the ice drift velocity ranges from 0.57 to 3.48 m/s with an average of 1.92 m/s, and a significant decreasing trend is observed when the ice drift passes through the entrances/exits of meandering bends and the confluences of distributaries in braided channels. The longitudinal distribution law of ice drift velocity revealed in this study can provide key data support and scientific reference for the accurate prediction of IJFs and the prevention and control of IJFs. 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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17 pages, 11146 KB

Open AccessArticle

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 964

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 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

Open AccessArticle

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 1107

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. 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

Open AccessArticle

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

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1007

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 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

Open AccessArticle

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 868

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 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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