Nenana Ice Classic: Tanana River Ice Annual Breakup Dates
 Parameters
- FREEZE/THAW
- ICE GROWTH/MELT
- RIVER ICE
Instruments
|
Documentation Access Data
The Nenana river in the Interior of Alaska usually freezes over during
October and November. The ice continues to grow throughout the winter
accumulating an average maximum thickness of about 110 cm, depending
upon winter weather conditions. The Nenana River Ice Classic competition began in 1917 when railroad
engineers bet a total of 800 dollars, winner takes all, guessing the exact time (month, day, hour, minute) ice on the Nenana River would
break up. Each year since then, Alaska residents have guessed at the
timing of the river breakup. A tripod, connected to an on-shore clock
with a string, is planted in two feet of river ice during river
freeze-up in October or November. The following spring, the clock
automatically stops when the tripod moves as the ice breaks up. The
time on the clock is used as the river ice breakup time. Many factors influence the river ice breakup, such as air temperature,
ice thickness, snow cover, wind, water temperature, and depth of water
below the ice. Generally, the Nenana river ice breaks up in late April
or early May (historically, April 20 to May 20). The time series of
the Nenana river ice breakup dates can be used to indicate climate
change in the region.
Data CitationNational Snow and Ice Data Center. 1998. Nenana Ice Classic: Tanana River ice annual breakup dates. Boulder, CO: National Snow and Ice Data Center. Digital media.
See Also
|
