As planet warms, less ice covering North American lakes

By BRITTANY PETERSON
Associated Press

GRAND LAKE, Colorado (AP) — In Grand Lake, Colorado, an outdoor ice hockey tournament was postponed due to thin ice on the fragile alpine lake. This comes as “winter weirding” events, like rain followed by snow, cause unstable ice for fishing and transportation. Longer open water seasons also affect fish and drinking water quality. A recent study out of Toronto’s York University looked at 60 North American lakes and found that in the last 25 years, they lost ice six times faster than the historical average. Experts say the only way to preserve lake ice cover over the long term is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.