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.

Record ice coverage persists on Lake Superior

Lake Superior, late April with ~60% ice coverage

A year ago at this time of year, Lake Superior had less than 5% ice coverage. This year, thanks to the brutal winter, polar vortex, and cool spring, it is still almost 60% covered with ice. 



While ice breaking efforts have ceased in the lower Great Lakes, Coast Guard cutters are still escorting convoys of ships in Lake Superior.

One benefit of the ice coverage: the level of all the Great Lakes will rise this year due to the decreased evaporation over the winter.  

But the negatives of persistent ice coverage include: delayed shipping season and stress on wildlife. The diving ducks who winter over in the Great Lakes had restricted access to open water this winter resulting in many thousands of these birds starving to death. 

Here is a little video I shot in Chicago this winter. This is a merganser duck, and it is diving for dinner underneath the encroaching ice near Navy Pier.  

I will travel up to Isle Royale next month to assist with the Wolf-Moose Study there. This is a wild place and it's bound to be chilly at night due to all the ice still afloat on Lake Superior!

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.