Reduser skriftstørrelsen Øk skriftstørrelsen

Ice conditions in rivers and lakes

08.10.2009 | 14:57

NVE is working to improve the safety of traffic on the ice. Therefore, we run a nationwide information service on the internet, send out press releases about the ice conditions before the winter holidays and give advice on use of the ice covered areas.

NVE operates some ice thickness monitoring stations, but to have a good information service we are fully dependent upon people reporting ice conditions. In the Oslo area we have good cooperation with the local skating association. Around the country we get reports from power plant operators, municipalities, ice fishers and the Red Cross.

Formerly, motorized traffic on the ice was important. Back then, NVE had a significantly larger network for observing ice conditions. We are currently working to digitize all the old observations, and plan to continue some of the longest time series we have and try to use them as climate indicators.

Human intervention may change ice conditions and will then be subject to impact assessments from NVE. This applies particularly to the power plant developments where ice conditions can worsen. But, ice problems can also occur in untouched rivers and NVE will help with advice and suggest preventive measures.