Great Lakes Ice Cover

Collage of Great Lakes Ice related images. Top row, left to right: An ice breaking ship, a scientist getting a sample 
								beneath the ice, a satellite image of a wintry Great Lakes Region; Bottom row, left to right: an ice covered Lake Erie from satellite
								imagery, Ice Caves at Glen Haven Beach, an ice breaking ship, and pancake ice.

Understanding the major effect of ice on the Great Lakes is crucial because it impacts a range of societal benefits provided by the lakes, from hydropower generation to commercial shipping to the fishing industry. The amount of ice cover varies from year to year, as well as how long it remains on the lakes. Studying, monitoring, and predicting ice coverage on the Great Lakes plays an important role in determining regional weather patterns, lake water levels, water movement patterns, water temperature structure, and spring plankton blooms.

NOAA-GLERL has been exploring the relationships between ice cover, lake thermal structure, and regional weather for over 30 years through development, maintenance, and analysis of historical model simulations and observations of ice cover, surface water temperature, and other variables. Weekly ice cover imaging products produced by the Canadian Ice Service started in 1973. Beginning in 1989, the U.S. National Ice Center produced Great Lakes ice cover charts that combined both Canadian and U.S. agency satellite imagery. These products are downloaded at GLERL by our Coastwatch program, a nationwide NOAA program within which the GLERL functions as the Great Lakes regional node. In this capacity, GLERL obtains, produces, and delivers environmental data and products for near real-time observation of the Great Lakes to support environmental science, decision making, and supporting research. This is achieved by providing access to near real-time and retrospective satellite observations and in-situ Great Lakes data.


Additional Resources:
Great Lakes Ice Images
Great Lakes Ice Brochure
US National Ice Center
National Snow and Ice Data Center
Environment and Climate Change Canada Daily Great Lakes Ice Charts


Contact:
Media Inquiries
alison.gillespie@noaa.gov
202-713-6644
General Information
oar.glerl.www@noaa.gov
734-741-2235
Ice-Climate Modeling/Forecasting
Jia Wang
jia.wang@noaa.gov
734-741-2281
Ice Cover Data
James Kessler
james.kessler@noaa.gov
734-265-0887

Updated: 05/16/2025