Solution of the practical problems of the ice engineering requires the data about the strength of the ice cover that depends upon its temperature. In this paper the comparatively simple equations are developed, which relate the temperature of the atmospheric air with the temperature of the snow layer surface and the ice temperature on the snow-ice interface. To reveal the correlation of the air temperature with temperature on interfaces air-snow and snow-ice, the known in the thermophysics solution of the problem of the heat transfer through the multilayer plate was applied. The problem is studied in a quasi-stationary formulation: temperature of air, snow and ice is constant ones. It corresponds to a relatively slow variation of the air temperature and solar radiation in the steady winter weather. The heat flow from the ice crystallization that takes place on the water-ice interface makes the essential contribution in the vertical profile of temperature forming. Evaluation of heat flow was carried out formerly by means of the parameterization of the rate of ice cover freezing on the base of known empirical relationship for Siberian rivers ice cover. The heat flow from the ice crystallization was divided between the ice cover and the water body in proportion to their heat conductivity. Comparison of the computer simulation results with data of the field measurements on the Amur River performed by specialists of the Taiyuan University of Technology had demonstrated their close fit and given base for evaluation of the empirical coefficients within formulas. The analysis of the results of the studied process computer simulation for typical values of parameters shows that the snow layer thickness can significantly affect the heat transfer rate and the vertical temperature profile. It also shows that under the snow layer thickness increasing (results of snow fall) its heat-insulating capabilities growth, the coefficient of heat transfer increases, and as result the difference between the temperature of the ice cover surface and the air temperature in-creases. By turn, this effect slows down the process of ice cover freezing. Outcomes of this investigation can be recommended for the practical problems of the ice engineering solution, particularly, for the ice strength and other physical characteristic evaluation on base of the air temperature data.
