Investigation of ice jams using the GPR method

The most effective way to remove ice jams is the explosive method, the use of which is most appropriate during the ice jam formation period. But it is necessary to know the thickness and volume of the jam-making ice in order to put the optimum quantity of explosive for effective destruction of the ice jam. It is not possible to implement the conventional measuring techniques for the purposes of measurement task solution for thin, fractured, and hummocked ice. During the spring flood period when there are advances of ice, it is possible to perform measurements only using the remote ground-penetrating radar (GPR) method. The actual practical results of GPR measurements of an ice jam on the Lena River were obtained in the vicinity of Namtsy Village. From the results of the GPR measurements, new information was obtained on the thickness of the jam-making ice and its distribution in area. The total calculated volume of the jam-making ice is equal to 4950 m
³
. The obtained value of the jam-making ice volume can serve as a parameter of estimation of the optimum quantity of explosive when performing explosive works with the purpose of removing the ice jam.