MSGID: 1:317/3 63f263b7   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   February 19, 2023 - Low Ice Cover on the Great Lakes   
      
      Great Lakes   
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      So far this winter, the Great Lakes have been unusually ice-free. As of   
      February 14, 2023, ice covered only 6.6 percent of the five freshwater   
      lakes, which is significantly less than the 35-40 percent ice cover   
      that is typical for mid-February, according to data published by the   
      National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Great Lakes   
      Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL). The ice cover on February 13   
      was only 7 percent—the lowest ice cover measured on that date of any   
      year since 1973, when satellite-based record keeping began.   
      
      When the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board   
      NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of part of the   
      Great Lakes, cold air temperatures had brought the total ice cover up   
      to 8.3 percent. What little ice is present skirts the coastlines of the   
      lakes, and a strip of ice covers Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay. In Lake   
      Erie, sediment swirls kicked up by storms and waves, mixed with colors   
      of floating phytoplankton, give the water a marble-like look.   
      
      Air temperatures are the main factor affecting ice cover on the Great   
      Lakes. According to the U.S. National Ice Center, each of the five   
      lakes experienced warmer than average air temperatures in January 2023.   
      The average temperature across the contiguous U.S. was 35.2 degrees   
      Fahrenheit (5.1 degrees above average) according to NOAA, making   
      January 2023 the sixth-warmest January on record.   
      
      Ice extent across the Great Lakes Basin briefly jumped to 21 percent in   
      early February in response to a cold snap. But since then, it has   
      declined through at least mid-February. Maximum ice cover typically   
      occurs between mid-February and early March.   
      
      Image Facts   
      Satellite:  Terra   
      Date Acquired: 2/14/2023   
      Resolutions:  1km (574.2 KB),  500m (1.6 MB),  250m (1.4 MB)   
      Bands Used: 1,4,3   
      Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC   
      
      
      
   https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2023-02-19   
       
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