Abstract

Two approaches are described for examining the possible effect of an ice boom on the air and water temperatures. The first approach utilizes a mathematical model for the ice dissipation process incorporating ice discharge from Lake Erie into the Niagara River. The model provides a useful framework for judging the relative significance of in-lake ice melt and river ice discharge in terms of ice area reduction in the lake. The second approach utilizes statistical testing of air and water temperature data to detect a boom effect. Although the power of the test is limited by the size of the data set, it is concluded that the ice boom has no significant effect on the air and water temperatures.