How does turbulence affect ice formation in rivers?

In rivers, turbulence plays a critical role in ice formation by causing the entire water depth to cool uniformly, unlike in lakes where cooling is more stratified. This turbulent mixing allows the water temperature to drop below the freezing point—a state known as supercooling—which facilitates the nucleation of frazil ice.1

Turbulence influences the physical characteristics of this ice:
* Particle Distribution: At high current velocities, frazil ice exists as a dispersed mixture or slurry of ice particles within the flow.1
* Adhesion: Because the water is supercooled, these turbulent ice particles are inherently unstable and will stick to one another or to surfaces, potentially forming anchor ice on the riverbed or blocking water intakes.1
* Ice Cover Dynamics: Turbulence and flow velocity determine whether ice pans accumulate into a stable cover or are submerged and transported downstream. Furthermore, once a fixed ice cover is established, the action of turbulent, slightly above-freezing water flowing beneath it can melt or retard the thickening of the ice's undersurface.234