Great Lakes Ice Loss

The NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory analyzed the temporal and spatial variability of ice cover in the Great Lakes. Temporal and Spatial Variability of Great Lakes Ice Cover, 1973–2010* was published in the February 2012 issue of Journal of Climate.

Analysis was conducted using US Coast Guard scanning, satellite photos, and other research data from 1973 to 2010. NOAA scientists found a significant downward trend in ice coverage for all of the lakes. Over the 38-year record, the overall ice coverage loss for all Great Lakes was 71%. Data from 1973 to 2010 indicated that:

• Lake Ontario had the highest ice coverage loss (88%);
• Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes (31,700 mi²) had a 79% ice coverage loss; and
• Lake St. Clair, between Lake Erie and Lake Huron, had the smallest ice coverage loss (37%).

References

1. Wang, Jia, Xuezhi Bai, Haoguo Hu, Anne Clites, Marie Colton, Brent Lofgren, 2012: Temporal and Spatial Variability of Great Lakes Ice Cover, 1973–2010*. J. Climate, 25, 1318–1329. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/2011JCLI4066.1 
2. US News on MSNBC.com. Great Lakes ice coverage falls 71 percent over 40 years.