APPLICATION OF A DISSOLVED OXYGEN MODEL TO AN ICE-COVERED RIVER

Downstream declines in dissolved oxygen (DO) occur in ice-covered rivers as a result of limited re-aeration, inputs of oxygen-depleted groundwater and oxidation of organic matter. Increased municipal and industrial development also decrease under-ice DO concentrations due to high biochemical oxygen demands (BOD). A one dimensional steady state stochastic river water quality model (DOSTOC) was evaluated for possible implementation for ice-covered rivers. For our study, a full application of this model was carried out using all available historic data including measured SOD values. The results showed that using the deterministic solution, observed DO values were simulated very well for most years, with a coefficient of determination (r2) ranging between 0.51 and 0.92.