Phys.org October 10, 2024
Most of the world’s lakes freeze, with a median ice duration of 218 days. The rate of lake ice loss has markedly accelerated over the past 25 years, with ice melt in some regions across the Northern Hemisphere arriving 45 days per century earlier and with many lakes experiencing increased intermittency of ice cover during winter in addition to ice-free winters. Lake ice loss is expected to affect a substantial proportion of the world’s population. Until recently, both logistical challenges as well as misconceptions of winter as a time of quiescence resulted in limited winter research. An international team of researchers (USA – Carnegie Institution for Science, Baylor University, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Miami University, US Geological Survey, Illinois State University, University of Minnesota, University of Nevada, Southern Methodist University, Canada, Sweden) structured this review around a central question that winter researchers are frequently asked: Why does it matter that lakes are losing winter ice?… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain