Climate change threatens Great Lakes' ice cover, scientists predict permanent loss by 2060s
These lakes—Superior, Huron, Michigan, Erie, and Ontario—lie along or near the US-Canada border, and are linked by a series of smaller lakes and rivers covering a total surface area of 95,000 square miles, which just so happens to be the largest freshwater system globally. (Image credit: NASA Earth Observatory) Photograph:( Others )
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"If the planet continues to warm, 215,000 lakes may no longer freeze every winter and almost 5,700 lakes may permanently lose ice cover by the end of the century," warned Professor Sapna Sharma of York University in Toronto
"If the planet continues to warm, 215,000 lakes may no longer freeze every winter and almost 5,700 lakes may permanently lose ice cover by the end of the century," warned Professor Sapna Sharma of York University in Toronto
The mean ice coverage across the United States's five Great Lakes in January 2024 was only 6 per cent, reveals a new report. This makes last month one of the least icy Januarys in the past 50 years, as per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
As per Professor Sapna Sharma, a specialist in lake environmental stressors at York University in Toronto, "The Great Lakes are now experiencing much lower ice cover, but in many regions, no ice at all. Large and deep lakes, including bays in Lakes Michigan and Superior, are most likely to permanently lose ice cover as soon as the 2060s if greenhouse gas emissions are not mitigated."
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These lakes—Superior, Huron, Michigan, Erie, and Ontario—lie along or near the US-Canada border, and are linked by a series of smaller lakes and rivers covering a total surface area of 95,000 square miles, which just so happens to be the largest freshwater system globally.
Although some fluctuation in ice cover from year to year is typical, scientists, as per The Guardian, assert that global warming is fuelling ice melt and increasing water temperatures. They warn that this trend could worsen without prompt action.
Professor Sapna Sharma revealed that "in direct response to warming air temperatures, we are observing rapid ice loss and warming summer water temperatures".
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"If the planet continues to warm, 215,000 lakes may no longer freeze every winter and almost 5,700 lakes may permanently lose ice cover by the end of the century," she warned.
The Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are monumentally important because they hold more than 20 per cent of Earth's freshwater — of which Lake Superior contains half.
Ice data indicates a 25 per cent decrease in basin-wide ice coverage and a tendency towards fewer frozen days across the Great Lakes since 1973.
"There is a trend: a 5% decline in average ice cover per decade, which may not sound huge, but it is a substantial decrease," noted James Kessler, a physical scientist and ice specialist at NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab.
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"Open lakes bring more rain rather than snow, which has knock-on environmental, cultural and societal impacts," he said, as quoted by The Guardian.
Certain regions have suffered more than others. Ice data dating back to 1857 shows that several bays on Lake Superior froze annually until around 1997. However, since then, with the intensification of global warming, some have experienced completely ice-free winters.
The vastness of the water system means that the effects in the Great Lakes extend beyond their borders.
(With inputs from agencies)
