The latest data just in from the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor Michigan indicates that as of today, total ice cover reached the second highest value on record 91%, beating the previous 2nd highest value set in 1994 of 90.7%.
See the chart.
Source: http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/glcfs/glcfs.php?lake=l&ext=ice&type=N&hr=00
In comparison to other years, only 1979 was higher for the satellite record:
Source: http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/data/ice/imgs/IceCoverAvg1973_2013.jpg
Original graph updated by A. Watts
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Ice builds at night, clear skies and no wind will grow ice for at least another month. Cloudy and windy will mean less ice. Living next to Lake Michigan and watching the ice extent wax and wane with the winds this year I have to say I’ve lost much confidence in the Arctic ice extent as a proxy for temperature, the winds must be just as important for ice extent as temperature, if not more so.
Saw the ice on Lake Michigan a few days ago, the heavy winds last week broke up and stacked up 1-2 inch thick plates of ice and froze them in place in a near vertical fashion as far as the eye could see. Like radiator plates extending from the water, got me wondering if such an arrangement increases heat loss from the water and makes thicker ice underneath it.
Mods, my comment @March 5, 2014 at 3:46 am has been in moderation for an hour. Please chop it out of the frozen lake Ice (But watch out for the fish frozen in with it.) IMAGE
philincalifornia says:@ur momisugly March 4, 2014 at 9:45 pm
No, CO2 is heavier than air, so it actually concentrates at the bottom of the world over Antarctica…
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Phil that one is a keeper. Posting it on some of the Progressive websites should be interesting. I wonder how many of the
Brain Dead‘Science/Math-Challenged’ would take it as a serious explanation?David Ross says: @ur momisugly March 4, 2014 at 10:05 pm
How much snow it typically takes to cancel school in the U.S….
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Here in N.C. school snow days have become a major headache. The Governor is even getting involved and that was BEFORE the latest storm hit this week.
ferdberple says: @ur momisugly March 4, 2014 at 11:24 pm
…Moscow (AFP) – Russia on Tuesday carried out a successful test-launch of an “advanced” intercontinental ballistic missile, state news agencies reported amid a fierce standoff between Moscow and the West over Ukraine.
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Russia wants the Ukraine because of the rich farmland. Unfortunately the country has a choice between the Russians and the IMF. One is as bad as the other IMHO.
It pays to remember civilization is a very thin veneer and the USA has also shot protesters at Kent State.
I apologize for my inability to avoid “threadjacking.” I have always thought it a blessing to be able to spend one’s precious conscious moments conversing with the muses of math and science. Sometimes the world intrudes and reminds us we are mortal. Even Archimedes could not interrupt his conversation and was slain by the Roman soldier come to fetch him. I understand Archimedes, but I am sure he was working on something more useful than ways to fight global warming.
Todd – I agree with you completely about the 1979 comparisons. Here in East Texas,we just had a huge ice storm (3 inches of pure ice, shut everything down for 3 days) and everyone who’s been around here awhile agrees that it was by far the worst ice storm this area has seen since new years day, 1979 – which, as you said, has been the gold standard around here for bad winter storms.
p.s. of course we get cold weather in March, but around here NO ONE can remember a huge ice storm with days of sub-freezing temperatures in March!
I like these ice cover record, because they are not corrupted by UHI ( at least maybe only on the shore close to major cities ). The records are very hard to change and fudge.
I have a dumb question for all the smart folks here…
Why is Lake Ontario not frozen over like the other Great Lakes?
Is it not subject to the depth of cold temps the more western lakes get, or do they just flush a lot more in Ontario’s part of the Northern Hemisphere?
Many thanks for your thoughts.
Proves climate change.
Yes it does – don’t argue. Obviously, as the earth warms, there’ll be more ice on the Great Lakes.
Look at the models…
Scott says: March 5, 2014 at 4:17 am “Saw the ice on Lake Michigan a few days ago, the heavy winds last week broke up and stacked up 1-2 inch thick plates of ice and froze them in place in a near vertical fashion as far as the eye could see.”
We crossed the Death’s Door Passage 23 Feb and the ice was as thick as four inches. The ferry captain said April crossings will be a challenge.
This is entirely consistent with AGW theory and exactly as predicted by climate model runs. (please note – due to a backlog it is normal for the predictions to come after the actual event)
Euan Mearns says: @ur momisugly March 5, 2014 at 12:09 am
….In Aberdeen Scotland we have so far had one of the mildest winters for a few years.
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WHAT!
No Chairlifts buried under the snow? IMAGE from Record snowfall in Scotland may allow skiing into summer
Paul Coppin says:
March 5, 2014 at 3:21 am
From Eric Simpson above: My vote for QOTW…
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SECONDED!
Anthony what happened to my firs post from this AM.
Had the info on the how a daily icebreaker has been breaking up the ice on Lake Ontario.
Other ice info from Canada ice service.
Upset your mods sniped it and why??
Come on..
REPLY:
1. It hasn’t been “snipped” it is still there.
2. It was held in moderation because it had multiple links, a signature of typical spam comments
3. This was all automatic, no moderator intervention.
Anthony
Gail Combs says:
March 5, 2014 at 5:29 am
WHAT!
Record snowfall in Scotland may allow skiing into summer
http://iceagenow.info/2014/03/record-snowfall-scotland-skiing-summer/
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Managing director Marian Austin said: “Our records show that it’s snowed in each 24 hour period since we opened for this winter season on December 20, 2013, so we’ve almost forgotten what it’s like not to have snow falling each day.
“Funny, don’t remember hearing about this on the BBC or Sky!” says Sonya.
According to Dr David Viner, a senior research scientist at the climatic research unit (CRU) of the University of East Anglia [the epicentre of global warming research], within a few years winter snowfall will become “a very rare and exciting event”. Children just aren’t going to know what snow is.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/dailypolitics/andrewneil/2010/12/global_warming_and_the_snowfal.html
To paraphrase Dr. Masters, “This is totally unprecedented since the last time it happened.”
goldminor says: @ur momisugly March 5, 2014 at 1:43 am
…The Great Lakes may not be the center of the world, But this deep cold will have regional consequences that will then have an impact of some level on the rest of the world. The Arctic is not the center of the world….
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In other words we had better hope like heck the Seed Companies have short season varieties available for US farmers because it is going to be a wet cold spring. The Daffys are just barely breaking ground here in the south. Usually their blooms would be dying back by this time of year. The fields are way too muddy to get into. I just got stuck in the mud and injured when Rammed by a Ewe.
Paraphrased from the EPA’s Ag Center.
1. The USA produces 32 percent of the world’s corn crop and exports about 20 percent of the U.S. corn production.
2. The USA accounting for over 50% of the world’s soybean production. Soybeans represent 50 percent of world oilseed production.
3. The U.S. produces about 10% of the world’s wheat and supplies about 25% of the world’s wheat export market.
4. U.S. rice production accounts for just under 2% of the world’s total, but this country is the second leading rice exporter with 10% of the world market.
5. The U.S. exports almost half of the sorghum it produces and controls 70% to 80% of world sorghum exports.
6. The US produces over 30% of the world’s cotton with annual exports of more than $7 billion.
7. Hay production in the United States exceeds 119 million tons per year. Alfalfa is the primary hay crop grown and is produced mainly for domestic consumption although there is a growing export market. (Like to China) Alfalfa is ground and pelleted for easy storage and shipping. I have some in stock.
The food supply is very interconnected and the USA no longer has strategic grain reserves thanks to the Freedom To Fail Farm Act of 1996. The last of the grain reserves was used up during the 2008 Food Crisis.
ferdberple says: @ur momisugly March 5, 2014 at 5:50 am
Ice Age Now has another recent interesting story.
Euan Mearns-
“I think summer minimum Lake ice would be more relevant. It’s only if / when this stuff begins to not melt that it becomes interesting.”
Perhaps with the exception of 1816 or some other extremes, all of the Great Lakes will always have the same minimum…..0 ice. We are at too low of a latitude and our summers begin in May with many 70F and 80 F days until September for Lake ice to not melt. I do remember, though, a few small bergs floating in Superior in early May 1972. It gets too warm too fast for too long for the ice to last.
@njsnowfan says:
March 5, 2014 at 3:00 am
Going to be hard to Set new all time record with this going on.
Duluth-Superior icebreaking starts this week
3/3 – Duluth, Minn. – The United States Coast Guard will start breaking ice in the ports of Duluth, Minn. and Superior, Wis. beginning March 4 in preparation for the 2014 shipping season.
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A nice little video of the Alder commencing operations yesterday:
http://duluthshippingnews.com/
My Comment is still awaiting Moderation from this AM.
Slow today or was it snipped.
somersetsteve says:
March 5, 2014 at 12:51 am
“Re FAH….I wonder what the definition of ‘Mission Accomplished’ will be in the war against climate change…no change whatsoever I presume….this could be a long one….”
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The US hasn’t won a War since 45’ ….. if that give you a clue.
Published in Geophysical Research Letters, the University of Minnesota-Duluth’s Large Lakes Observatory (LLO) study found that summer surface water temperatures on Lake Superior have increased approximately 4.5°F (2.5°C) during the period 1979–2006.
This they said made Superior one of the fastest warming lakes in the world. Of course they picked the last record high ice point and the most recent record low point to prove their point.
Also according to Temporal and Spatial Variability of Great Lakes Ice Cover, 1973–2010* ice cover on the Great Lakes has decreased by 71% over the past four decades.
Seems there was a consensus about the Great Lakes too.
David Ross says:
March 4, 2014 at 10:05 pm
“How much snow it typically takes to cancel school in the U.S….”
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Well now, that’s an iffy question …… simply because a majority of said “snow days” are due to the fact that so many Teachers “call in” to take a “sick day” or a ”personal day” and requesting a Substitute ….. and thus there is insufficient personnel for all the Classrooms.