New studies show that winter ice seasons in the Arctic are growing shorter and shorter. As Arctic ice freezes later and melts earlier, scientists are concerned about the growing effects of climate change on Arctic regions.
A research team from the University of Waterloo has discovered that the winter ice season has been shortened by as much as 24 days compared to previous winter seasons a few decades ago. Due to the effects of climate change, the lake ice in Arctic lakes during the coldest part of the year has thinned down by as much as 38 centimeters, compared to measurements taken back in the 1950s.
The European Space Agency (ESA) commissioned the study and the team has published its findings in the online journal The Cryosphere. The team conducting the study gathered data from more than 400 lakes in the Arctic region.
"Air temperature and winter precipitation changes over the last five decades have impacted the timing, duration, and thickness of the ice cover on Arctic lakes as shown by recent studies," said the team from the University of Waterloo. "In the case of shallow tundra lakes, many of which are less than 3 m deep, warmer climate conditions could result in thinner ice covers and consequently, in a smaller fraction of lakes freezing to their bed in winter."
Using data gathered by satellite mounted radar equipment provided by the ESA, the team was able to calculate that in 1992, around 62 percent of the lakes froze completely down to the bottom of the lake bed. By 2011 however, this figure decreased to 26 percent. This conclusion was reached after determining that the radar signatures of lakes frozen all the way to the bottom differed from lakes that were only partially frozen.
Aside from the environmental effects of the shortened ice seasons, human activities in the area will also be affected. Communities in the region usually rely on ice roads as a means of transportation. With thinner ice however, it may prove dangerous for trucks and other vehicles carrying supplies and passengers to and from the affected areas during the winter.
