Historical ice jams and associated environmental conditions on Osoyoos Lake

Nicholas A. Sutfin; Stephen J. Breen

doi:10.3133/sir20265003

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Historical ice jams and associated environmental conditions on Osoyoos Lake

Nicholas A. Sutfin·Stephen J. Breen

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Abstract

Ice jams occur regularly at the southern outlet of Osoyoos Lake, which spans the border between the State of Washington and British Columbia, Canada. In recent winters, ice jams caused (1) decreases in downstream discharge that may adversely affect salmon spawning habitat and (2) short-duration lake-level rise that can interfere with lake level management agreements. In response, water managers sought to understand the environmental conditions associated with the historical ice-jam occurrences on Osoyoos Lake. Researchers compiled datasets of discharge, lake level, and air temperature from four meteorological and three hydrologic stations near Oroville, Washington, to determine “ice-jam” or “non-ice-jam” days from 1942 to 2024. After confirming known ice jams since 1994 using Landsat 8–9 and Sentinel–2 satellite imagery along with discharge, lake level, and air temperature data, researchers designated ice-jam days. They conducted statistical analyses to examine environmental conditions associated with ice-jam occurrences on Osoyoos Lake. Statistical tests indicated significant differences in wind speed, wind direction, and air temperature between ice-jam and non-ice-jam days. A linear discriminant-analysis model correctly predicted 12 of 13 historical ice-jam days since 1994 and determined that ice jams are more likely under westerly and northwesterly winds near or above 10 kilometers per hour (km/h) and minimum temperatures near or below –9.4 degrees Celsius (°C). An analysis of historical discharge suggests that ice jams have occurred since at least the 1940s, but 13 ice jam days occurred in the past decade (2014–2024), exceeding any previous decade. The daily minimum air temperature in the Osoyoos Lake region has increased at a rate of 0.021 °C per year since the 1940s, but ice jams usually occur in winters with colder average temperatures.

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Source-reported bounding extent: 48.87431047779373° to 49.11443094771283° latitude; -119.67443538186532° to -119.3142803507082° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

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Nicholas A. Sutfin, Stephen J. Breen. 2026-04-16. Historical ice jams and associated environmental conditions on Osoyoos Lake. https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20265003

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