Waning Ice on the Shores of Lake Michigan

Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and dynamic speaker. 

She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile journeys exploring the Great Lakes and has authored three books about these adventures. 

To learn more about her work, or to engage her as a speaker, go to 

http://www.laketrek.com/great-lakes-speaker/

There was very little ice on the surface of the Great Lakes this winter. 

And now, in late March, the only ice I saw on my lakeshore walk today (with social distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic) 

persisted on trees and roots that had been splashed by waves.

The result was sculptural...

jagged...

and told the story of wind and waves.

In this time of necessary isolation, it was lovely to wave to passing lakeshore strollers, to give a smile, to remember that we are in this together.

Chandelier Ice on Lake Michigan

Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and dynamic speaker. 

She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile adventures exploring the Great Lakes and has authored three books about these adventures: 

A 1,000-Mile Walk on the Beach  [A Heartland Indie Bestseller]

A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Walk   [Winner of the Great Lakes Great Reads Award] 

A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Island Adventure  [Long-listed for the Chautauqua Prize]

 

To learn more about her work, or to engage her as a speaker, go to http://www.laketrek.com/great-lakes-speaker/

Another formation of ice along Lake Michigan is what I call "chandelier ice."

These ultra-clear, sculptural pieces resemble modern lighting fixtures.

Check out photos and video below:

February ice on Lake Michigan

Here's a look at the ice on Lake Michigan this February:

To see satellite images of the frozen 
Great Lakes, 
go HERE.

Ice on the Great Lakes

On February 14, the Great Lakes had 68.3% ice coverage. Lake Erie is the shallowest Great Lake and always freezes faster than the other, 
deeper lakes. 
In the NOAA image below, the darker the area on the lake, the more complete the ice coverage.

Lake Michigan is unique. It is deeper than Lake Huron, and prevailing winds tend to break up the ice that forms on edge of the west side of the lake, then move it across to the eastern shore. 

Ice on the Great Lakes

 This has been a frigid winter with polar vortices, snowfall breaking decades-old records, and widespread ice formation on the Great Lakes.

Lake Michigan was just over 93% covered with ice on March 8, setting a new record.

Ice near Chicago

Overall, the Great Lakes were just over 

92% iced over on March 6, 

not quite breaking the record.

Windrow ice near Chicago

The lakes are dynamic, so the ice breaks up, gets pushed around, and then stacked near the shore making elaborate formations.

 Close shot of windrow ice

Peak ice coverage for each Great Lake this year:

1. Lake Erie – 96.40% on March 6, 2014
2. Lake Huron – 96.30% on March 6, 2014
3. Lake Superior – 95.74% on March 5, 2014
4. Lake Michigan – 93.29% on March 8, 2014
5. Lake Ontario – 61.52% on March 6, 2014

Some reports stated that Lake Ontario has less ice coverage due to its volume-to-surface-area ratio, but this ratio is similar to Lake Michigan's which had higher ice coverage. I think it's more likely that the inflow from the Niagara River disrupts ice formation at the western end of the lake. The river also carries dissolved minerals from upstream into Lake Ontario which depresses the freezing point of the water. Another consideration is the effect of industrial and municipal usage and return of water at the western edge of the lake which may increase the temperature of the water. One additional factor may be the retention time for Lake Ontario which is only 6 years compared to Lake Michigan's 99 years. This means that the water in Lake Ontario is moving much faster than in Lake Michigan.

More information on ice on the

Great Lakes HERE.

Ice on Lake Michigan

There have been many reports about the remarkable amount of ice coverage on the Great Lakes during this frigid winter. The highest recorded total ice coverage on the Great Lakes is 94.7% from 1979 (the most modern data set only goes back to 1973). 

On February 12, the Great Lakes were 87% sealed with ice. 

Ice builds around Chicago's water intake

A witness to the freeze on Chicago's Navy Pier

Check out the remarkable growth of ice on Lake Michigan over a 4-day period this month here. 

Prevailing winds from the west tend to break up Lake Michigan's ice and push it across the lake to the shores of Indiana and Michigan. Large stacks of ice form along the shoreline.

Ice builds around Navy Pier

Ice floe meanders up the Chicago River

The ice coverage will reduce the amount of water that the lakes lose to evaporation this spring. Heavy precipitation this winter will flow to the lakes and raise them up to 11" this year.