Stratification during spring and summer in a brackish lake subject to ice cover
department or school: Applied Science, Faculty of
department or school: Civil Engineering, Department of
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCV
creator: Jamali, Sara
issued: 2025-09-08T21:23:23Z
issued: 2025
related degree: Master of Applied Science - MASc
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: In recent decades temperate lakes have experienced notable changes in their thermal regimes, including extended durations of summer stratification and shorter ice-covered periods. In addition, recent studies have shown that the presence of low levels of salinity can have dramatic effects on the circulation of ice-covered lakes. For example, the exclusion of salt from ice as it forms can result in a relatively fresh surface layer immediately after ice melt. The density contrast between the ice-melt and the more saline water beneath it can be suï¬icient to hinder, or even prevent, turnover. These changes have far-reaching ecological consequences, influencing oxygen availability, nutrient cycling, and biological productivity. Base Mine Lake Demonstration (BML) in Alberta, Canada (57°1'N, 111°37'W) is the first full-scale demonstration of an end pit lake in the oil sands industry. BML was formed by the backfilling of a previously mined-out pit with fluid fine tailings, followed by the addition of fresh water from a nearby reservoir. The evolution of the resulting brackish lake has been actively monitored since its commissioning in 2012. In the present study we investigate the inhibition and dynamics of spring turnover, and the establishment of summer stratification, in BML. Field observations from spring and summer of 2016 and 2017 are analyzed using a conceptual model, and compared with simulations from the one-dimensional General Lake Model (GLM), to assess changes in the temperature stratification during notable wind events. Results indicate that although significant mixing occurs after ice-off, complete turnover is not achieved; instead, the lake experiences long periods of upwelling/downwelling and short periods (hours) of partial spring turnover. Additionally, the dynamics at BML are influenced by the expression of saline pore water from the settling of the underlying tailings. These findings highlight both the complex mixing dynamics within BML and the limitati…
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/92273
note: Stratification During Spring andSummer in a Brackish Lake Subject toIce CoverbySara JamaliB.Sc., Sharif University of Technology, 2021A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OFTHE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OFMASTER OF APPLIED SCIENCEinThe Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies(Civil Engineering)THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA(Vancouver)September 2025© Sara Jamali 2025The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Graduateand Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, the thesis entitled:Stratification During Spring and Summer in a Brackish Lake Subject to Ice Coversubmitted by Sara Jamali in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree ofMaster of Applied Science in Civil Engineering.Examining Committee:Gregory A. Lawrence, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, UBCSupervisorBernard Laval, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, UBCCo-SupervisoriiAbstractIn recent decades temperate lakes have experienced notable changes in their thermal regimes,including extended durations of summer stratification and shorter ice-covered periods. In ad-dition, recent studies have shown that the presence of low levels of salinity can have dramaticeffects on the circulation of ice-covered lakes. For example, the exclusion of salt from ice asit forms can result in a relatively fresh surface layer immediately after ice melt. The densitycontrast between the ice-melt and the more saline water beneath it can be sufficient to hinder,or even prevent, turnover. These changes have far-reaching ecological consequences, influencingoxygen availability, nutrient cycling, and biological productivity.Base Mine Lake Demonstration (BML) in Alberta, Canada (57°1'N, 111°37'W) is the firstfull-scale demonstration of an end pit lake in the oil sands industry. BML was formed by thebackfilling of a previously mined-out pit with fluid fine tailings, followed by the addition of freshwater from a nearby reservoir. The evolution of the resulti…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2025-11
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0450074
language: eng
degree discipline: Civil Engineering
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
contributor: Lawrence, Gregory A.
contributor: Laval, Bernard
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/92273