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Oceans
Lake Superior summer water temperatures are increasing more rapidly than regional air temperatures: A positive ice-albedo feedback
Article first published online: 23 MAR 2007
DOI: 10.1029/2006GL029021
Copyright 2007 by the American Geophysical Union.
Additional Information
How to Cite
, and (2007), Lake Superior summer water temperatures are increasing more rapidly than regional air temperatures: A positive ice-albedo feedback, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L06604, doi:10.1029/2006GL029021.
Publication History
- Issue published online: 23 MAR 2007
- Article first published online: 23 MAR 2007
- Manuscript Accepted: 7 FEB 2007
- Manuscript Revised: 31 JAN 2007
- Manuscript Received: 7 DEC 2006
Keywords:
- Lake Superior;
- climate change;
- ice
[1] Lake Superior summer (July–September) surface water temperatures have increased approximately 2.5°C over the interval 1979–2006, equivalent to a rate of (11 ± 6) × 10−2°C yr−1, significantly in excess of regional atmospheric warming. This discrepancy is caused by declining winter ice cover, which is causing the onset of the positively stratified season to occur earlier at a rate of roughly a half day per year. An earlier start of the stratified season significantly increases the period over which the lake warms during the summer months, leading to a stronger trend in mean summer temperatures than would be expected from changes in summer air temperature alone.