River Overflood and Strudel Scour Potential - Smith Bay to Camden Bay, Alaskan Beaufort Sea Available to Purchase

This paper characterizes the spatial and temporal variability of riveroverflooding on the sea ice and related pipeline and facility siting concernsfor the nearshore region of the Alaskan Beaufort Sea. This phenomenon occurseach spring during a brief period when river discharge precedes the break-up ofthe landfast sea ice. The river water flows on top of the grounded and floatingsea ice, and can spread several kilometers offshore and encompass vast areas. The overflood waters drain through holes and discontinuities in the ice, andcan create large scour depressions on the sea floor when the drainage rate ishigh. These so called " strudel scours" can constitute a significant designconsideration for subsea pipelines.