Ice Cover Classification (2024)

In order to understand ice formation and the types of ice in the Great Lakes, the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) and the U.S. Coast Guard use Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data from the NOAA CoastWatch Great Lakes Node to monitor six different types of ice, ice thickness, and ice cover. This risk assessment tool is known as the Ice Condition Index (ICECON). The U.S. Coast Guard uses ICECON to identify areas that require ice breaking operations and ship transit assistance. These ice breaking operations allow government and commercial ships to travel through the Great Lakes unobstructed.

Satellite SAR Ice Type ICECON Scale

ICECON
Categories
Description
Example Ice Types
ThicknessColorImpacts to Vessels
0Calm Water
(or below noise floor)
0″BlueNo Ice present or imminent.
1New Lake Ice<2″GreenMinimum ice concentrations and thickness, Does not present hindrance to commercial navigation.
2Pancake Ice2″ – 6″YellowLight Ice conditions present. Still open water areas. May be some hindrance to less ice-capable ships.
3Consolidated Flows6″ – 12″OrangeLight-to-moderate ice conditions present. Less ice-capable ships may need icebreaker assistance for transit and /or be at risk for damage.
4Lake Ice w/patchy
crusted snow
Snow/SnowIce/LakeIce
Up to 28″Moderate-to-Heavy Ice conditions present. All Commercial ships may require ice breaker assistance for transit.
5Brash>28″
Up to 9-11m
RedHeavy-to-extreme ice conditions. All transits require icebreaker escort. Approaching or exceeds capabilities of light icebreaker assets. Increased risk of damage to vessels.

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'); }, drawCallback: function (settings) { // PAGINATION // Add classes to pagination: $('.dataTables_paginate').addClass('usa-pagination'); $('.dataTables_paginate > span').addClass('usa-pagination__list'); $('.dataTables_paginate span.ellipsis').wrap('

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    '); $('#tag-container').append(clearBtn); // Split datasetsParam into array const datasetsParamArray = datasetsParam.split(','); // Loop through each option in #huronDatatablesSelect $('#huron-datatables-dataset option').each(function() { let optionValue = $(this).val().toLowerCase(); let optionTitle = $(this).text().toLowerCase(); let hasMatch = datasetsParamArray.some(substring => { return optionValue.includes(substring) || optionTitle.includes(substring); }); // If option does not match any of the substrings in datasetsParamArray, apply hidden attribute if (!hasMatch) { $(this).attr('hidden', true); } else { $(this).removeAttr('hidden'); } }); } } // Combobox Filter: Run filterDatasets(); })(jQuery); // END jQuery no conflict wrapper

    Ice Cover Classification (1)

  • Ice Cover Classification (2024)

    FAQs

    What percentage of the Earth is covered with ice? ›

    Ice, which covers 10 percent of Earth's surface, is disappearing rapidly.

    How much of the world was covered in ice? ›

    The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) occurred about 20,000 years ago, during the last phase of the Pleistocene epoch. At that time, global sea level was more than 400 feet lower than it is today, and glaciers covered approximately: 8% of Earth's surface. 25% of Earth's land area.

    Will Lake Erie freeze in 2024? ›

    Ice coverage on the Great Lakes typically reaches its annual peak in late February or early March. But at that time in 2024, the lakes were conspicuously free of ice. Owing to warmer winter weather and above-average surface water temperatures, ice cover stood at historic lows.

    What two regions are mostly covered in ice? ›

    Today, there are only two ice sheets in the world: the Antarctic ice sheet and the Greenland ice sheet. During the last glacial period, however, much of Earth was covered by ice sheets.

    What percent of ice covers the earth? ›

    Presently, 10 percent of land area on Earth is covered with glacial ice, including glaciers, ice caps, and the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica. Glacierized areas cover over 15 million square kilometers (5.8 million square miles).

    Where does 90% of the Earth's ice lies today? ›

    Today, about 10% of land area on Earth is covered with glacial ice. Almost 90% is in Antarctica, while the remaining 10% is in the Greenland ice cap.

    Are we still in an ice age? ›

    At least five major ice ages have occurred throughout Earth's history: the earliest was over 2 billion years ago, and the most recent one began approximately 3 million years ago and continues today (yes, we live in an ice age!).

    What did the Earth look like 20,000 years ago? ›

    20,000 YEARS AGO. Last Glacial Maximum- a time, around 20,000 years ago, when much of the Earth was covered in ice. The average global temperature may have been as much as 10 degrees Celsius colder than that of today. The Earth has a long history of cycles between warming and cooling.

    What did the Earth look like 30,000 years ago? ›

    Thirty thousand years ago, the planet was in the grip of an ice age. Large areas of land were either covered in ice or they were so dry that little plant life could grow. Where there was water, plant productivity was limited by low carbon dioxide concentrations.

    When was the last time Lake Erie completely froze over? ›

    More than 90% of Lake Erie has been frozen in 33 different winters since the start of such record keeping in 1973. That includes completely freezing over in 1978, 1979 and for the last time in 1996.

    How long will Lake Erie last? ›

    Lake Erie has a lake retention time of 2.6 years, the shortest of all the Great Lakes. The lake's surface area is 9,910 square miles (25,667 km2). Lake Erie's water level fluctuates with the seasons as in the other Great Lakes.

    What happens if the Great Lakes don't freeze? ›

    Thick ice protects the lakeshores from erosion and flooding during storms. Because ice cover prevents evaporation, a lack of ice creates the possibility for lake effect snow, causing snowfalls to become larger and more treacherous to nearby cities.

    What is the thickest ice on Earth? ›

    The Antarctic Ice Sheet measures nearly 4.9 kilometers (3 miles) at its thickest point and contains about 30 million cubic kilometers (7.2 million cubic miles) of ice. If the entire Antarctic Ice Sheet melted, sea level would rise about 58 meters (190 feet).

    Who owns the Arctic? ›

    All land, internal waters, territorial seas and EEZs in the Arctic are under the jurisdiction of one of the eight Arctic coastal states: Canada, Denmark (via Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States.

    Is there land under the Arctic? ›

    Unlike Antarctica, there's no land at the North Pole. Instead it's all ice that's floating on top of the Arctic Ocean. Over the past four decades, scientists have seen a steep decline in both the amount and thickness of Arctic sea ice during the summer and winter months.

    How much of Antarctica is land vs. ice? ›

    About 98% of Antarctica is covered by the Antarctic ice sheet, a sheet of ice averaging at least 1.0 mile (1.6 km) thick. The continent has about 90% of the world's ice (and thereby about 70% of the world's fresh water). If all of this ice were to melt, sea levels would rise about 200 ft (60m).

    When was the last time Earth had no glaciers? ›

    And they found that the plants were very old indeed, and had probably last grown in these spots some 115,000 years ago. That's the last time the areas were actually not covered by ice, the scientists believe.

    Would there be any land if all the ice melted? ›

    If all the ice covering Antarctica , Greenland, and in mountain glaciers around the world were to melt, sea level would rise about 70 meters (230 feet). The ocean would cover all the coastal cities. And land area would shrink significantly. But many cities, such as Denver, would survive.

    Where is 90% of ice? ›

    It averages 2,160 meters thick, making Antarctica the highest continent. This ice is 90 percent of all the world's ice and 70 percent of all the world's fresh water.

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