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A steel gate is one of the major components of a hydraulic power station for storing water and monitoring the water level. In cold regions, the temperature decreases to well below the freezing point, and the water turns to ice, which can apply high loads on the steel gate, leading to large deformations and failure of the gate. This study aims to monitor and analyse the ice load distribution on a steel gate using an inverse method. As a case study, a steel gate at the hydraulic station on the Songhua River in Harbin is selected. The steel gate is equipped with several vibrating wire strain gauges, and deformation data for various locations on the structure was collected for 100 days. As experimental identification of the system transfer matrix requires information concerning the actual loads, which is not directly attainable, the transfer matrix was constructed using a finite element method. Five inverse methods were verified …