Great Lakes start 2024 with smallest amount of ice in at least 50 years

The Great Lakes had the smallest amount of ice cover this New Year’s Day in at least the past 50
years and are on track to see less than the seasonal average this winter, according to
government data. The decline comes during a five-decade drop in ice cover that experts say is
due in part to human-caused climate change.

“It’s an extreme number,” said James Kessler, a physical scientist at the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL). “That
said, it is early in the season, and there is year-to-year variability. But on average we are seeing
less ice cover and shorter seasons.”

On the first of the year, only 0.35 percent of the Great Lakes was under ice, below the roughly 9
percent that it usually averages at this point in the winter, according to data from GLERL. On
New Year’s Day 2023, more than 4 percent of the Great Lakes was covered in ice, while 2.35
percent was covered in ice on Jan. 1, 2022.

Kessler cautioned that while Monday’s low is remarkable, one-day lows are not as statistically
significant as month-long lows. He added that maximum ice cover, or the point in the winter
with the highest percentage of the Great Lakes with ice coverage, usually occurs in February
and March, and that January is early in the season. (In 2023, the Great Lakes’ ice cover hit a
record mid-February low.)

Still, the drops are expected to continue as the earth keeps warming, with implications across
industries and environments.

Robust ice cover protects lake shorelines from high waves that can bring severe flooding and
damage the coastline, according to Kessler. Some microorganisms use the ice as a safe haven to
spawn and lay eggs. A lack of ice coverage can lead to more severe snow storms because an
unfrozen lake is a prerequisite for “lake effect” snow.

NEWS4

Heddle Shipyards has a new name.

HAMILTON, ON –Heddle Shipyards has been rebranded Ontario Shipyards. The name change
took place Jan. 1.

“The province of Ontario was once the epicenter of shipbuilding in Canada, with more than
eighty commercial and government vessels built at the Port Weller Dry Docks and many more
at the historic Thunder Bay Shipyard,” according to a press release. “The transition to Ontario
Shipyards is both a signal and a commitment that we will harness the capacity of Ontario’s
shipyards and the industrial capabilities of the province to become the most reliable provider of
ship repair and shipbuilding services in Canada so that our country has the vessels and skilled
labor force it needs to be a maritime nation.”

“The name Ontario Shipyards embraces Ontario’s shipbuilding legacy and articulates a vision to
complete the revitalization of shipyards in Ontario so that the province can once again become
a global leader in ship repair and shipbuilding services. We will do so by modernizing and
revolutionizing shipyard operations and building a highly skilled and motivated workforce,” the
press release continued.

“In the coming years, additional capacity will be needed to support the Canadian government’s
National Shipbuilding Strategy. Ontario Shipyards stands ready to provide that capacity.”
Ontario Shipyards

‘Tis the Season for the Winter Lay-up List

You can monitor our annual lay-up listing page here: https://boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/winter-lay-up-list-2023-2024/

The page will be updated throughout the winter. Please send lay-up reports to news@boatnerd.net.