Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
3,900,209,992 visitors served.
forum Join the Word of the Day Mailing List For webmasters
?
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

Frazil Ice

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
frazil ice [′fra·zəl ‚īs]
(hydrology)
A spongy or slushy accumulation of frazil in a body of water. Also known as needle ice.

Frazil Ice 

an accumulation of loose, spongy ice within a body of water (deep frazil ice) or on its surface (surface frazil ice). Frazil ice forms from tiny crystals of deep ice (intermediate and bottom ice) and from grease ice and slush. It occurs before the freeze-up when water is supercooled below 0°C, primarily on mountain rivers and rivers with rapids, below polynyas and the lower pools of hydroengineering complexes, and, occasionally, on lowland rivers and lakes.

Frazil ice, carried downstream by the current, covers large areas and dams up the channel, causing ice jams. It also considerably impedes the operation of hydroengineering structures by clogging up the filters of water intakes and the aperture grills at hydroelectrical power plants.



Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Feedback
Mentioned in?  References in periodicals archive?   Encyclopedia browser?   Full browser?
No references found
 
COLUMN: REGIONAL DIGEST State money for ice woes finally thaws ATHOL - When the Millers River froze to a standstill in 2005 because of frazil ice buildup, the town called in many of its resources to deal with the problem.
At times, Ship Creek would fill with frazil ice causing intake screens at the treatment plant to clog, requiring operating personnel to shovel frazil ice away from the intake.
 
 
 
Encyclopedia
?

Terms of Use | Privacy policy | Feedback | Advertise with Us | Copyright © 2012 Farlex, Inc.
Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.