Nice Lakes low on ice this winter
There’s extra open water within the Nice Lakes than typical this winter. As you may see on this satellite picture from February 13, 2023, the Nice Lakes are largely freed from ice cowl. NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory mentioned that as of mid-February, solely 6.6% of the 5 freshwater lakes are ice-covered. That’s a lot lower than the typical of 35 to 40% ice protection for this time of yr.
On the above picture from February 13, ice lined 7% of the Nice Lakes. That’s the bottom since satellite-based file conserving started in 1973. If you happen to look intently, you may spot ice in Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay. It’s also possible to see ice alongside the extra northerly coastlines. The lighter shade of Lake Erie is because of storms kicking up sediments.
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Why the low ice cowl?
Air temperatures are the perpetrator within the lack of ice protection. The U.S. Nationwide Ice Heart mentioned that warmer-than-average air temperatures affected every of the 5 lakes in January 2023. In truth, the typical temperature throughout the contiguous United States was 35.2 F (1.7 C). That’s 5.1 levels F (2.8 C) above common. NOAA mentioned January 2023 was the 6th-warmest January on file.
Chilly climate may nonetheless deliver extra ice to the Nice Lakes this season. In early February, the ice cowl on the Nice Lakes was briefly at 21% after a chilly spell. However current heat climate has introduced a return of open water. The utmost ice cowl for the Nice Lakes is generally between mid-February and early March.
A downward development
Jia Wang, an ice climatologist for NOAA, mentioned that ice protection has been trending downward over the previous 44 years. The official winter interval runs from December 1 to April 30. He mentioned that common ice cowl on the Nice Lakes declined 69% between 1973 and 2017.
Whereas anthropogenic warming is a part of the rationale for the decline in ice, Wang discovered a bigger issue. Wang mentioned the pure patterns of local weather variability over the Pacific and Atlantic oceans are largely accountable. These patterns embody the North Atlantic Oscillation, the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, and the El Niño-Southern Oscillation. Wang mentioned:
Every year we now have to have a look at these 4 patterns to mannequin ice cowl. Proper now, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation along with the North Atlantic Oscillation are inflicting warming within the Nice Lakes.
Backside line: Ice cowl is especially low on the Nice Lakes to date this winter. As of mid-February, solely 6.6% of the lakes had been lined in ice.
