International Journal Evolving Sustainable and Renewable Energy Solutions
âIs not January Pure Winter?â Ice Duration on Northeastern US Lakes, 1816-2021
Abstract
Lloyd C. Irland and D. I. Maass
Data were assembled on ice durations for 22 lakes in the Northeast US, spanning the region from Minnesota to Maine. The records began in the 19th century for ten of them, second half of the 19th century for 7, and post 1950 for 6. Only a few were complete; several had major gaps. These were analyzed for long-term trends, for variability, and comparisons were made for the most recent 60 years, for which the largest number of records were available. By non-parametric tests, the longest series showed significant reductions in ice duration. The periods 1961-1990 and 1991-2022 showed mixed results. High variability characterized the long-term trends across lakes. Since these records are not an actual sample of all lakes in the region, general conclusions from these results should be drawn with care.