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Click here
for a printable version (PDF) of the Winter 2010 issue.
Lake Tides - The
newsletter for people interested in Wisconsin Lakes
- a quarterly publication of the University of
Wisconsin-Extension Lakes Program - part of the
Wisconsin Lakes Partnership.
Volume 35 No. 1 Winter 2010
Text-only version (HTML format)Ice on, Ice off
Learn, Lead, Take Action - Join the Lake Leaders Institute
Today!
Frozen in Time: A Subglacial Lake in Antarctica
Trends in Boater Behaviors: 2004-2009 Watercraft Inspection Data
DNR Reaches out to Online Citizens -
WI Lakes Blog
Calendar
Reflections
Ice on, Ice off
The date that a lake freezes over and the date that it opens
up have been noted occasions for centuries. That information
can be gleaned from religious accounts, newspaper archives, and
transportation records. In Japan, these records on Lake Suwa date
back to 1445. Ancient Shinto lore tells of a temple with a male
and female god, who argued. As a result, the female god built
her own temple on the other side of the lake. Every winter, after
the ice formed on the lake, the male god and his pet dragon
visited her, and their visit was easily identified by a
serpentine ice ridge left by the dragon’s tail. Each winter since
1452, Shinto priests hold a religious ceremony on the lake to
mark the event and record the date. The priests’ annual record
of freezing and other ice events provides the oldest known annual
time series of ice phenology.
Historically, ice
off dates in Wisconsin were also marked by a
cultural if not so elegant annual winter
tradition. Some community service clubs would
drag old, junker cars out on the ice in March
and sponsor “guess the ice out day” contests to
raise funds for good causes. Prizes were
given out to the person that could guess the day
and hour that the vehicle would plummet
through the ice.
Today there is
another more disquieting reason to track ice
phenology. Long-term ice trends can be a tool in
detecting global climate change. Water warms up
and cools slower than the planet’s air and
soils. If lakes and rivers are staying clear of
ice for longer periods of time each year, this
may indicate that the climate is warming.
Picking the
date that a lake freezes can be tougher than it
sounds. In Wisconsin, scientists define that day
(ice on) as the first date on which the water
body is observed to be completely
covered with ice, and the breakup date (ice off)
is the date of the first ice thaw. The period of
days between these two events in which a water
body is completely covered with ice is known
as the ice duration. The duration of ice cover
is valuable information that many scientists and
volunteers record each year.
In the Global
Lake and River Ice Phenology database, kept by
the National Snow and Ice Data Center
(NSIDC), are records containing freeze and
breakup dates and other ice cover descriptive
data for 750 lakes and rivers. Of the 429 water
bodies that have records longer than 19 years,
141 are in Eurasia and 287 are in North America.
170 of the lakes have ice records longer than
50 years, and 28 lakes have records dating back
to 1900. A few even have data prior to the Civil
War.
There are many
factors that can play a role in ice on and ice
off - the size of the lake, the depth, how far
north or south it lays, broad scale weather
patterns and the amount of snow are just a few.
What do such long-term records tell us?
Scientists working with the NSIDC say freeze and
breakup dates of ice on lakes and rivers provide
consistent evidence of later freezing and
earlier breakup around the Northern Hemisphere
from 1846 to 1995. A few longer time series
reveal reduced ice cover beginning as early as
the 16th century, with increasing rates of
change after about 1850. These changes have been
even more dramatic in the period from 1974 to
2004 and, in particular, in the lakes along the
southern boundaries of the Great Lakes states.
The boundary between lakes that regularly freeze
and those that don’t is shifting steadily
northward, such that some lakes in Wisconsin may
never freeze over in the future.
According to the
State Climatology Office, the ice duration on
Madison’s Lake Mendota in the winter of
2001-2002 was 21 days - the shortest ever over
the period of record beginning in the 1850s.
The Lake Mendota patterns are observable around
the Northern Hemisphere with some variations.
What would be the long term implications for our
southern lakes if they no longer froze in the
winter? What would be the consequences to fish
and zooplankton? Would it decrease the number of
winter fish kills
Our reasons
for tracking the miracle of ice over the
centuries have evolved. Today, some of those
reasons are more ominous. From cultural to
scientific and from local to global, we will
continue to note and celebrate the comings and
goings of gelid waters and ice.
Collecting Ice On and Ice Off
Data for Wisconsin Lakes
If you are
interested in collecting
ice on, ice off
information, join the
Citizen Lake Monitoring
Network
(CLMN) and contact Laura Herman (see
above)
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Learn, Lead, Take Action - Join the Lake Leaders
Institute Today!
Over a decade ago a need was
identified and an idea was hatched to fill it.
Lakes
needed fresh leadership
and seasoned leaders needed refreshing. In the
spring of 1998
the Lake Leaders Institute
was born to take on this task. The members are
affectionately called crews and the
Institute provides a fertile garden for ideas
and people to grow. Over 200 graduates from the
nationally recognized Lake Leaders Institute
have taken their new skills and personal
connections back to their communities and are
helping to preserve and protect Wisconsin
waters. In addition, the Institute has spurred
these leaders to share their talents beyond the
shores of their community lake and help our
state’s decision-makers choose wisely on issues
common to all lakes. Join these fascinating
folks that share your concern for the future of
our water resources!
Next spring will be time to
gather a new “crew” to share experiences and
explore new ideas about our
waters. Ask
yourself these questions:
• Do you have a
vision for Wisconsin waters?
• Are you
interested in meeting people that care about our
lakes and waters?
• Would you like to meet
and get to know the people working for state
agencies and institutions charged with lake
management and stewardship?
• Could you
benefit from more knowledge of how to be an
effective leader?
• Would you enjoy hands-on
education about the science of lakes and aquatic
ecology?
• Do you want to make a difference
in Wisconsin’s legacy of lakes?If you answered “yes” to many of
these questions, you are a great candidate for
Crew VIII of the
Wisconsin Lake Leaders Institute
You can nominate yourself or a
friend by April 12, 2010 by sending contact
information and a purpose statement to
uwexlakes@uwsp.edu. For more details about the
Lake Leaders Institute,
go to
www.uwsp.edu/cnr/uwexlakes/lakeleaders/ or call
715-346-2116.
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Frozen in Time: A Subglacial Lake in Antartica
It is the year 2010 and there certainly aren’t many
unknown lakes left to discover…right? If there were, they would probably be tiny and in
some remote location. Well, a previously unknown
lake was found, and it is huge…nearly the size
of Lake Ontario! It was discovered near a place
named Vostok. Calling Vostok a remote location
would be an understatement. In 1957, the
Russians established a base there, which is 600
miles from the Antarctic coast and has
temperatures that sometimes plunge to -128oF.
In 1996, a team of Russian scientists, drilling
through nearly two miles of the ice cap, hit ice
that was clear and free of any features typical
to Antarctic ice. They stopped drilling to
search for answers to this anomaly. Airborne
radar and satellite altimetry revealed a flat
area about 155 miles long by 31 miles wide.
Scientists believe that a liquid lake must lie
below these two miles of Antarctic ice. They
think the lake is kept liquid by the tremendous
pressure, the insulation of the ice, and
geothermal heat
This water, and maybe even an ecosystem, has
been sealed from the rest of the planet for at
least 500,000 years and perhaps as long as 25
million years. Such conclusions put this lake
among the rarest of places on the planet, a
place uncontaminated by human activities. In
comparison, the highly-contaminated (both
biologically and chemically) Great Lakes and
inland lakes are mere infants with barely 10,000
years under their belts.
There is great interest in finding out if any
life inhabits the extreme conditions of this
lake. The main concern is penetrating the
remaining ice to reach the lake water without
contaminating the lake with bacteria or other
foreign bodies. While drilling to the site of
this remote lake, the Russians used a solution
of 60 tons of kerosene and FreonTM water to keep
the hole from re-freezing. The drilling was
stopped about 300 feet above the liquid lake.
At present, researchers are pondering methods to
investigate the lake without destroying its
unflawed condition. The introduction of any
biological or chemical contaminates could do
unalterable damage. Researchers believe there is
also a chance that animals, previously unknown
to humans, could be discovered.
The best idea for a tool that can reach the lake
to date is called a crybot. This device is a
heated probe that would melt through the ice
to reach the lake. It could be decontaminated
before it arrived at the water, and once in the
lake, it would release a submersible with
instruments and a camera to explore these new
depths and send back information.
Entry into this uniquely pristine lake is
planned to take place in the 2010-2011 drilling
season. Only then will we know what, if any,
creatures lurk in its ancient depths.
Take a virtual tour of Lake Vostok at
www.ldeo.columbia.edu/~mstuding/slide_show.
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Trends in Boater Behaviors: 2004-2009
Watercraft Inspection Data
To see graphs related to
this particular article,
go to the PDF at
www.uwsp.edu/cnr/uwexlakes/laketides/vol35-1/LTwinter2010.pdf.
To get full results of the 2009 inspection
season, go to the CBCW page at
www.uwsp.edu/cnr/uwexlakes/CBCW and click on
"See the Newest CBCW Data Trends".
Since 2004, watercraft inspection has been a
significant part of Wisconsin’s aquatic invasive
species (AIS) prevention efforts. Research has
shown that inspections play an important role in
helping contain AIS to already affected waterbodies, preventing the spread of invasive
species to new waters. Our effort to concentrate
on waters with an AIS presence in 2009 led to an
increase in watercraft inspections on Lake
Michigan, Lake Superior, Lake Winnebago, and
other inland waterbodies that have been
identified as sources of AIS. This summer,
there were numerous landings that had inspectors
present for the first time, and many people who
had never heard of AIS before learned how to
take the proper AIS preventative steps.
This increase in watercraft inspectors was made
possible by a new project and partnership with
Workforce Development. Young adults who were
unfamiliar with AIS or outreach efforts were
given the opportunity to become educators and
help protect Wisconsin’s lakes by working as
inspectors. Many of them gained valuable work
experience and insight into their career
interests, while lakes with an AIS presence
gained some much needed boat inspections. This
project helped us gather some significant data
on boater behaviors and awareness from AIS
source waters. Below are some data totals for
2009 from across the state.
The percentage of boaters
stating “watercraft inspector as their source
of AIS information rose by 5% from 2008.
Only 25% of boaters reported
using their watercraft on a different waterbody
within the past five days. This number is down
one percent from last year, indicating the
continual decline of boaters lake-hopping.
-
52,777 boats were
inspected by volunteersand paid inspectors
-
114,202 people were
contacted about the ‘Clean Boats, Clean
Waters’ message
-
Over 32,387.9 hours were
spent conducting watercraft inspections
~ 70% hours by paid inspectors
~ 30% hours by volunteers
-
16% of all boats
inspected had plants attached; of these, the
majority of the boaters (78%) removed the
plants as requested
-
25% of boats had been in
another waterbody in the last five days
-
Boaters and other landing
users were asked about whether they took
each prevention step after they last used
their boat and equipment
• 94% said they
inspected their boat and equipment for
plants and removed any found
• 90% said
they drained all water from their boat and
equipment
• 70% said they disposed of
their unused bait
• 63% said they put
their fish on ice to ensure they were not
leaving the landing with any live fish
•
70% said they either washed their boat and
equipment with hot or high pressure water OR
dried them for five days
-
91% of boaters stated
that they were aware of the AIS launch law
Watercraft inspectors remain
the leading source of AIS information for
boaters.
There was an increase in the
percent of boaters who reported inspecting and
removing plants, disposing of their bait, and
not leaving the landing with live fish.
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DNR Reaches Out to
Online Citizens
The Wisconsin Department of
Natural Resources (DNR) is making information
about our state’s natural gems more accessible
to “online citizens.” Go to http://dnr.wi.gov/
and click on the “Subscribe to DNR Updates”
under the “Features” area at the upper-right.
After entering and verifying your email address,
you can sign up to get email notices for
everything from general DNR announcements, to
fishing updates, to news related to Wisconsin
lakes. Specifically, under the “Lakes” category,
is a “Lakes-L Blog” choice (see below).
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WI Lakes Blog
Free-share Your Lake Views
with Other Concerned Citizens
Beginning last month, the DNR
rolled out a new free service called the Lakes-L
Blog (a moderated discussion forum), which
replaces the previous Lakes-L listserv (no
longer available).
If you have a question or
information about Wisconsin lakes that you would
like to share with the lakes community, this is
a great tool. E-mail
DNRLakeb@wisconsin.gov and
type “Lakes-L” in the subject line to post your
thoughts and questions.
To get the specifics, visit
http://dnr.wi.gov/lakes/lists/blog.html.
To check out what’s already
on the blog, visit
http://blog.govdelivery.com/lakes-l/.
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Calendar
January 19, 2010 - Wisconsin Ground Water Association (WGWA) Lecture
Series. “Economic Opportunities in Water Techologies” at the Marcus Center
for the Performing Arts, Milwaukee. For more information:
www.wgwa.org
January 22-24, 2010 –
Lake Home and
Cabin Show, Madison.
For more
information:
www.lakehomeandcabinshow.com/madison/index.aspx
January 26, 2010
–
Conservation Lobby
Day, Madison.Share
your lake conservation values with Legislators!
For more
information: www.conservationvoters.org
February 1, 2010
–
Application
Deadline for AIS Control Grants
For more
information:
www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/cfa/Grants/Lakes/invasivespecies.html
February 11-12, 2010
–
Wisconsin Wetlands
Association Conference
“Wetlands
in Service” will the WWA’s 15th annual conference to be held at
the Plaza
Hotel and Suites, Eau Claire, WI For more information:
www.wisconsinwetlands.org/2010conference.htm
February 13, 2010
–
Waukesha County
Lake Workshop - Changing Lakes,
Changing Policy -
Register by February 6 for this one-day workshop in the
southeast
region of the state. For
more information:
www.wisconsinlakes.org/events/09se.html
March 4-5, 2010
–
American Water
Resources Association (AWRA)
2009 Wisconsin
Section Meeting. “Emerging Challenges for the Waters of
Wisconsin”
held at the Madison Mariott West.
For more information:
www.awra.org/state/wisconsin
March 8, 2010
–
Early bird
Deadline for Wisconsin Lakes Convention.
For more
information, see pages 6-14 of this issue.
March 30-April 1, 2010
–
Wisconsin Lakes
Convention, Green Bay.
For more
information, see pages 6-14 of this issue or go to
www.uwsp.edu/cnr/uwexlakes/conventions.
May 19-20, 2010
–
Wisconsin Lake
Leaders Institute - Crew VIII, Session I.
For more
information, see page 2.
For more information, see page 2.
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Reflections
There is a privacy about it which no other
season gives you... In spring, summer and fall people sort of
have an open season on each other; only in the winter, in the
country, can you have longer, quiet stretches when you can savor
belonging to yourself.
~ Ruth Stout
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Editor: Amy
Kowalski Design & Layout: Amy Kowalski
Contributing Authors: Patrick Goggin, UWEX;
Carroll Schaal, DNR
Contributing Editors: Robert Korth and Erin McFarlane, UWEX
Photos by: Robert Korth
(unless otherwise noted)
Illustrations by: Carol Watkins, Chris Whalen
The contents of
Lake Tides
do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of UW-Extension,
UWSP-CNR, the Wisconsin DNR or the Wisconsin Association of Lakes.
Mention of trade names, commercial products, private businesses or
publicly financed programs does not constitute endorsement.
Lake Tides welcomes articles, letters or other news items for
publication. Articles in Lake Tides may be reprinted or
reproduced for further distribution with acknowledgment to the
Wisconsin Lakes Partnership. If you need this material in an
alternative format, please contact our office. No state tax
revenue supported the printing of this document.
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