The analysis characterizes breakup/freeze-up episodes to better understand the hydrological and glaciological parameters of the study watercourses. For each watercourse, a database of punctual morphometric parameters associated with ice jam development was created to support large-scale analysis. Physical hydraulic model testing and advanced  3D SPH simulations were used to establish critical thresholds associated with ice jam initiation.

The results contributed to the development of a new predictive formulation for the critical surface ice concentration required to initiate an ice jam. A code-based tool was subsequently developed  to automatically identify river cross-sections predisposed to ice jam formation. Finally, 1D hydraulic modeling at the sections identified was carried out to spatially represent water levels in the field during ice jam flooding.