UMD Professor Talks on the Impacts of Mild Winters Has on Ice and Water

DULUTH, Minn. — A winter with warm temperatures and minimal snowfall has significant impacts on the environment.

We talked to a specialist about how ice and water are affected during mild winters.

UMD Professor Jay Austin works at the Large Lake Observatory at the college, he says the northland’s unusually warm temperatures can result in environmental and economic delays.

Austin says minimal ice on lakes can cause warmer water temps in the summer, and the formation of harmful algal blooms. Weak ice also means less recreational use, such as fishing.

Austin also says lack of snowfall also impacts the condition of water during the spring melt.

“We rely on there being a good, solid snowpack in order to replenishing the lake in the spring,” UMD Professor Jay Austin said. “At this stage, it doesn’t seem to be in the cards. Of course, we can still get a late winter storm that helps, but we are many-many inches behind where we would normally be at this time of the year.”

As of right now, there is little ice on Lake Superior. Austin says this can lead to erosion during storms, as there is no ice to protect certain areas of the shore.
Austin also detailed that, though there are a few negatives, the mild winter allowed the Great Lakes shipping season to remain open longer.