{"id":2983,"date":"2023-03-15T04:09:07","date_gmt":"2023-03-15T03:09:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lakebeyond.com\/?p=2983"},"modified":"2023-03-15T04:09:07","modified_gmt":"2023-03-15T03:09:07","slug":"did-lake-michigan-ever-freeze-over","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lakebeyond.com\/did-lake-michigan-ever-freeze-over\/","title":{"rendered":"Did lake michigan ever freeze over?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. The other four Great Lakes are shared by the United States and Canada. Lake Michigan is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third-largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron (and is slightly smaller than the U.S. state of West Virginia). The lake’s name, originating from the Ojibwa word mishigami meaning “great water”, or possibly michi-gami meaning “otter water”, is often said to mean ” Lake of the Great Spirit “.<\/p>\n

Lake Michigan has frozen over in entirety an estimated 29 times since the lake was formed, most recently in 1994.<\/p>\n

Will Lake Michigan ever dry up? <\/h2>\n

The Great Lakes are a vital part of the North American continent, and their health is of utmost importance. It is therefore alarming to hear that Lake Michigan-Huron is likely to face water levels as high as 1778 by 2040. This is one foot higher than the 1986 record high, and would have devastating consequences for the ecosystem and the economy. The worst part is that by 2030, just eight years from now, the lake is projected to drop to 1745, 35 feet lower than 2000 lows. This is a serious issue that must be addressed immediately.<\/p>\n

Lake Erie is one of the Great Lakes and is known for being very cold and freezing over often. Aside from a few warmer years, the lake is usually 80% or more solidified after January. Around 40% of the lake’s top layer is typically frozen by mid to late January. Erie rarely freezes over entirely, but it has happened in some of the coldest winters.<\/p>\n

How much of the Great Lakes are frozen over <\/h3>\n
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The long-term average ice cover today is 34 percent. This is a decrease from the long-term average of 50 percent ice cover in the 1970s. The decrease in ice cover is due to climate change. The Earth is warming and the Arctic is one of the fastest warming regions on the planet. The loss of ice cover is a cause for concern because it is a positive feedback loop. As the ice cover decreases, the Earth absorbs more heat and warms more, causing the ice cover to decrease even further.<\/p>\n

The gases would allow a body to rise “like a balloon The body buoys up to the top,” Sohn said. Since the lake has frigid temperatures bodies don’t decompose, thus gases don’t form, prompting them to stay submerged.<\/p>\n

Which US lakes are drying up? <\/h2>\n

While most of the country was dealing with record-breaking heat in the summer of 2022, five lakes in the United States were dealing with something much worse: They were practically drying up.<\/p>\n

The Great Salt Lake in Utah, the Salton Sea in California, Lake Mead in Nevada, Walker Lake in Nevada, and Mono Lake in California were all facing extremely low water levels due to a combination of drought conditions and excessive evaporation.<\/p>\n

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The Great Salt Lake, which is the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere, lost an estimated 1.5 trillion gallons of water in the summer of 2022. That’s enough water to supply the needs of nearly 8 million people for an entire year.<\/p>\n

The Salton Sea, which is the largest lake in California, lost an estimated 1.3 trillion gallons of water in the summer of 2022. That’s enough water to supply the needs of nearly 7 million people for an entire year.<\/p>\n

Lake Mead, which is the largest reservoir in the United States, lost an estimated 1.2 trillion gallons of water in the summer of 2022. That’s enough water to supply the needs of nearly 6.5 million people for an entire year.<\/p>\n

Walker Lake, which is the largest natural lake in Nevada<\/p>\n

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It’s interesting to note that NASA tells us that Lake Erie is typically the first of the Great Lakes to freeze over during widespread frigid weather. This is likely because the rest of the Great Lakes are deeper, and thus take longer to cool down. According to NASA’s data, the last time that Lake Erie froze over was 1996.<\/p>\n

Has Lake Erie been cleaned up? <\/h2>\n

The phosphorus reductions in Lake Erie have had a major positive impact on the ecosystem. Fish have flourished and the lake has become much cleaner and clearer. Lake Erie has become known as the “Walleye Capital of the World” and tourists are once again flocking to the area. This is one of the greatest ecosystem recoveries in the world.<\/p>\n

Officer James Mylett of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has proclaimed that there are no sharks in Lake Erie. This is good news for swimming enthusiasts, as there is no longer any need to worry about encountering a shark while enjoying a dip in the lake. However, it is worth noting that there have been occasional reports of shark sightings in Lake Erie over the years, so the ODNR’s proclamation should be taken with a grain of salt.<\/p>\n

Which Great Lake doesn’t freeze <\/h3>\n

The Great Lakes that have completely frozen include Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. Lake Michigan is the only Great Lake that has never frozen entirely. The reason for this is that Lake Michigan is situated in a different climatic zone than the other Great Lakes. Additionally, the winds that blow across Lake Michigan are relatively warmer than the winds that blow across the other Great Lakes, which helps to keep the surface of the lake from freezing.<\/p>\n

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The water temperature in the Great Lakes is far too cold for most sharks including the Bull Shark. Even if it managed to make it through the summer months, our frigid winters would turn it into a “sharksicle” in no time.