Article:

CHEBOYGAN, Mich. (AP) — From the bridge of the Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw, northern Lake Huron looks like a vast, snow-covered field dotted with ice slabs as big as boulders — a battleground for the icebreaker's 58-member crew during one of the roughest winters in memory. 
  
 In this Feb. 5, 2014 photo photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard a yardstick measures the thickness of some of the ice the crew of cutter Katmai Bay, background, battles during ice-breaking operations... (Associated Press) 
  
 The Coast Guard Cutter Biscayne Bay, a 140-foot ice-breaking tug, sails the waters near Chicago and toward the shores off Indiana, Feb. 12, 2014. The Biscayne Bay helped break ice on the southern part... (Associated Press) 
  
 In this Feb. 6, 2014 aerial photo is a view of Lake Huron looking south towards Port Huron, Mich., right, and Sarnia, Ont., left. This winter has been so bitterly cold for so long that the sprawling Great... (Associated Press) 
  
 In this Feb. 7, 2014 photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard the icebreaker Katmai Bay escorts the lgo Steel with a load of road salt through the Straits of Mackinac. Sections of the lakes harden almost... (Associated Press) 
  
 In this Jan. 10, 2014 photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard are Great Lakes freighters Arthur M. Anderson, left, and James R. Barker, seen from the icebreaker Mackinaw, on the St. Marys River, which... (Associated Press) 
  
 In this Feb. 12, 2014 photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard the icebreaker Biscayne Bay passes Chicago's Navy Pier, left, as it through the ice covered waters of Lake Michigan on it's way to Indiana.... (Associated Press) 
  
 In this Feb. 2, 2014 photo people visit the caves at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in northern Wisconsin, transformed into a dazzling display of ice sculptures by the arctic siege gripping the Upper... (Associated Press) 
  
 In this Dec. 26, 2013 photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard the icebreaker Mackinaw maintains a shipping lane on the St. Marys River linking Lakes Superior and Huron. It’s been so bitterly cold for so... (Associated Press) 
  
 In this Feb. 11, 2014, Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Alderman studies instruments in the bridge of the cutter Mackinaw, which is docked in Cheboygan, Mich., after weeks of icebreaking duties on the upper... (Associated Press) 
  
 In this Jan. 9, 2014 photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard a convoy of Great Lakes cargo ships line up to follow an icebreaker on the St. Marys River, which links Lakes Superior and Huron. As of Feb.... (Associated Press) 
  
 This Feb. 11, 2014 photo the pier and lighthouse at Lake Michigan’s Little Traverse Bay at Petoskey, Mich., is surrounded by thick ice. Nearly 88 percent of the Great Lakes’ surface area has frozen over... (Associated Press) 
  
 In this Feb. 2, 2014 photo people visit the caves at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in northern Wisconsin, transformed into a dazzling display of ice sculptures by the arctic siege gripping the Upper... (Associated Press) 
  
 POOL PHOTO -- In this Feb. 11, 2014 aerial photo the Mackinac Bridge over the the Straits of Mackinac spans an ice cover that stretches into the horizon in Michigan. As of Feb. 13, the ice cover extended... (Associated Press) 
  
 It's been so bitterly cold for so long in the Upper Midwest that the Great Lakes are almost completely covered with ice. The last time they came this close was in 1994, when 94 percent of the lakes' surface was frozen. 
  
 As of Thursday, ice cover extended across 88 percent, according to the federal government's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor. 
  
 Sections of the lakes, which hold nearly one-fifth of the freshwater on the world's surface, harden almost every winter. That freezing keeps the Coast Guard's fleet of nine icebreakers busy clearing paths for vessels hauling essential cargo such as heating oil, salt and coal. But over the past four decades, the average ice cover has receded 70 percent, scientists say, probably in part because of climate change. 
  
 Still, as this season shows, short-term weather patterns can trump multi-year trends. Winter arrived early and with a vengeance and refuses to loosen its grip. 
  
 "That arctic vortex came down, and the ice just kept going," said George Leshkevich, a physical scientist with the federal lab. 
  
 The deep freeze is more than a novelty. By limiting evaporation, it may help replenish lake water levels — a process that began last year after a record-breaking slump dating to the late 1990s. Also getting relief are cities along the lakes that have been pummeled with lake-effect snow, which happens when cold air masses suck up moisture from open waters and dump it over land. 
  
 Buffalo, N.Y, got nearly 43 inches of snow in January, but this month just 13 inches have fallen, a decline resulting largely from the freeze-over of Lake Erie even though Lake Ontario has remained largely open, said forecaster Jon Hitchcock of the National Weather Service. 
  
 Heavy ice can also protect fish eggs from predators, and it has delighted photographers, ice anglers and daredevil snowmobilers. 
  
 At Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin, the rock-solid cover has allowed around 35,000 visitors to trudge miles over Lake Superior to explore caves featuring dazzling ice formations. It's the first time in five years the lake surface has been firm enough to allow passage. 
  
 With no letup in the cold, the ice hasn't experienced the usual thaw-and-freeze cycle, so nature's artistry is even more delicate and beautiful, with needle-like hoarfrost crystals sprinkled across sheets that dangle from cave ceilings like giant chandeliers. 
  
 "Seeing them like this is almost a once-in-a-lifetime experience," Superintendent Bob Krumenaker said. 
  
 There's even an (apparently) tongue-in-cheek Facebook page inviting people to join a convoy of snowmobiles, cars and other vehicles on a nearly 80-mile trek across Lake Michigan. Never mind that its waters remain partly open and experts warn the ice can be dangerously unstable. 
  
 "If it freezes, and you miss this chance, when will it happen again?" the page says. "Feel free to invite more folks!" 
  
 For Coast Guard icebreaker teams, it's all business. They've logged four times more hours this season than the average for the same period in recent years, said Kyle Niemi, spokesman for the agency's Cleveland district headquarters. 
  
 The 240-foot-long Mackinaw began its duties Dec. 16 — several weeks earlier than usual — and worked nonstop until Feb. 8, when traffic slowed enough to allow a break. 
  
 "As you can imagine, the crew's tired," Cmdr. Michael Davanzo said this week during a tour of the ship in its home port of Cheboygan. 
  
 A 35-year Coast Guard veteran who has spent 12 years on the lakes, Davanzo said this winter is the toughest he's experienced because the ice came so soon and is so thick and widespread, and the weather has been constantly bitter. 
  
 The Mackinaw, commissioned in 2006 to replace an older vessel with the same name, is designed specifically for duty on the Great Lakes. It's propelled by two "Azipod" thrusters that can spin 360 degrees and fire jets of water at adjacent ice, weakening it. Sometimes the crew will drive the ship's bow onto an ice sheet to crack it with sheer weight. Or they'll go backward, chopping up ice with the propeller blades. 
  
 When the going gets tough, there's the battering-ram option — hurling the reinforced hull directly against walls of ice that can be several feet thick. 
  
 The workload typically drops sharply after navigational locks on the St. Marys River, the link between Lakes Superior and Huron, close in mid-January and most large cargo haulers dock for winter. But the ice was so thick this year that a number of freighters were still struggling to complete final deliveries days later. Even now, demand for road salt and heating oil in the Midwest is keeping some icebreakers busy. 
  
 One day last month, the Mackinaw spent 16 grueling hours helping a freighter squeeze through a narrow 3.5-mile section of the St. Marys. As the Mackinaw attacks the ice, the engines roar and the ship vibrates. The noise and motion are "like living in an earthquake 16 hours a day," Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Alderman said. 
  
 Davanzo hopes for rain and warmer temperatures that would melt some ice before the locks reopen in late March, when the Mackinaw will venture onto Lake Superior and clear paths for iron ore and coal haulers. 
  
 "But if the weather stays like this," he said, "we could be breaking ice all the way to the middle of May." 
  
 Despite the inconvenience, there's a silver lining for shippers. Since the low-water period began in late 1990s, they've been forced to carry lighter loads to avoid scraping bottom in shallow channels and harbors. Heavy snow and rain in 2013 finally raised water levels. 
  
 Ice cover blocks evaporation, the leading cause of low water. It also will keep the lakes cooler for a longer time this year, delaying the onset of heavy evaporation season, scientist John Lenters reported in a paper last month, although the benefit is partially offset by stepped-up evaporation shortly before the ice forms. 
  
 In Lake Superior, snowbound Isle Royale National Park is home to a dwindling and inbred wolf population that is usually trapped on the island. Biologists hope a newcomer or two will venture to the park now that the lake is almost entirely frozen over. The park's first wolves are believed to have crossed an ice bridge from Canada, 15 miles away, in the late 1940s. 
  
 There's also a chance that one or more of the island's wolves could grab the rare opportunity to escape. 
  
 "They are inveterate travelers," veteran wolf expert Rolf Peterson said. "And they don't need a reason that would make sense to us." 
  
 ___ 
  
 Follow John Flesher on Twitter at http://twitter.com/JohnFlesher . ||||| If this winter needed a theme song, it might be “Ice Ice Baby.” 
  
 The Great Lakes are on the cusp of a record for ice cover. 
  
 “In the last one to two weeks, we’ve seen rapid accumulations on Lakes Superior, Huron and Michigan,” said Jeff Andresen, an associate professor in Michigan State University’s geography department who also is the state climatologist. 
  
 The ice cover on the lakes increased from 79.7% to 88.4% just in the last week, putting the region close to the record of almost 95% set in February 1979, according to data compiled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor. 
  
 ■ Related: 4 Michigan cities among the snowiest in America 
  
 ■ Related: Relentless winter saps snow-removal budgets 
  
 The extensive ice cover has had some interesting and positive effects, like shutting off lake-effect snow, making it sunnier in parts of northern and western Michigan and limiting evaporation, which could help boost lake levels. 
  
 And the ice cover, Andresen said, could help delay the spring warm-up — good news for farmers as it helps keep certain crops, like fruit trees, dormant longer and less susceptible to freezing early in the growing season. 
  
 Andresen said that the winter of 2013-14 also is shaping up to be one of the five coldest in Michigan in recorded history, although it’s still early to say for certain. 
  
 “We haven’t seen many winters like this that are cold from beginning to end,” he said, noting that this is the fourth consecutive month that is colder than normal. “It has been an extraordinary winter, and the ice cover is a manifestation of that unusually cold winter.” 
  
 He cautioned that temperatures forecast in the 40s next week could hurt the chances to break a record for ice cover. 
  
 “Given the warmer weather next week, it may not be in the cards, but it’s way, way above normal,” Andresen said. 
  
 Still, he cautioned not to “put the snow blower away just yet” because some forecasts predict that extremely cold weather could return later in the season. 
  
 George Lessens, chief meteorologist at WZZM-TV (Channel 13) in Grand Rapids, agreed that the ice cover on the Great Lakes is substantial, but he doubts the region will hit a record. 
  
 “We could see the lakes getting close to that record if we had another week to 10 days (of below-freezing temperatures), but we’re going to go into the 40s next week. That’s really going to put the brakes on it,” he said. 
  
 If the lakes fail to beat the record, we can blame Lake Ontario. 
  
 “Lake Ontario is still quite a bit uncovered. They’re holding everyone back,” Lessens said. 
  
 Lake Ontario’s depth and the churning caused by Niagara Falls mean that it needs long stretches of exceptionally cold weather to freeze. It had ice cover of just over 40% Thursday. Other lakes are almost completely covered: Superior, 93.6%; Huron, 95%, and Erie, 95.7%. Michigan was at 81%. 
  
 The extensive lake ice provided a backdrop for U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, a Harrison Township Republican, on Thursday as she traveled aboard the U.S. Coast Guard’s 225-foot icebreaker, the Hollyhock, from Port Huron. 
  
 “I was interested to see up close the vast amount of ice blanketing Lake Huron and extremely impressed with the skill, dedication and persistence demonstrated by the crew of the Hollyhock as they cut through the ice,” Miller said in a news release. 
  
 “This winter’s brutally cold conditions create even greater challenges as they work to stay ahead of the ice and prepare for ice jams during the spring thaw.” |||||
What is a summary?
– It's been so cold for such a long time in the Great Lakes region that the lakes are now almost completely covered with ice for the first time in 20 years. Ice cover has now reached 88% across the five lakes, the most since 1994, when 94% of their surface was frozen, the AP finds. Average ice cover has receded around 70% over the last four decades, so this year's deep freeze will do much to replenish lake water levels by limiting evaporation. "It has been an extraordinary winter, and the ice cover is a manifestation of that unusually cold winter," Michigan's state climatologist tells the Detroit Free Press. The ice cover record could be broken by next week if the current rate of increase continues, a meteorologist says, though Lake Ontario is "holding everyone back" with ice cover of just 40%, caused by its depth and the churn of Niagara Falls. On Lake Superior, which is almost 94% frozen over, the Apostle Island Ice Caves can be reached on foot for the first time in years.
Artikel: CHEBOYGAN, Mich. (AP) — Från Kustbevakningsskärarens bro Mackinaw ser norra Huronsjön ut som ett vidsträckt, snötäckt fält som är prickat med isplattor så stora som stenblock — ett slagfält för isbrytarens 58-mannabesättning under en av de grövsta vintrarna i minnet. I denna feb. 5, 2014 foto foto som tillhandahålls av USA: s kustbevakning en måttstock mäter tjockleken på en del av isen besättningen av skär Katmai Bay, bakgrund, strider under isbrytningar... (Associated Press) Kustbevakningen Cutter Biscayne Bay, en 140-fots isbrytande bogserbåt, seglar vattnen nära Chicago och mot stränderna utanför Indiana, Feb. 12, 2014. Biscayne Bay hjälpte till att bryta is på den södra delen... (Associated Press) I denna 6 februari 2014 flygfoto är en vy över Huronsjön tittar söderut mot Port Huron, Mich., höger, och Sarnia, Ont., vänster. Denna vinter har varit så bittert kallt så länge att den spretiga Great... (Associated Press) I denna februari 7, 2014 foto tillhandahålls av den amerikanska kustbevakningen isbrytaren Katmai Bay eskorterar lgo Steel med en last av vägsalt genom sundet Mackinac. I denna Jan. 10, 2014 foto tillhandahålls av USA: s kustbevakning är Great Lakes fraktfartyg Arthur M. Anderson, vänster, och James R. Barker, sett från isbrytaren Mackinaw, på St Marys River, som... (Associated Press) I denna Feb. 12, 2014 foto tillhandahålls av USA: s kustbevakning isbrytaren Biscayne Bay passerar Chicagos Navy Pier, vänster, som det genom istäckta vatten Michigan på väg till Indiana.... (Associated Press) I denna Februari 2, 2014 foto människor besöker grottorna på Apostel Islands National Lakeshore i norra Wisconsin, omvandlas till en lysande uppvisning av is skulpturer av den arktiska belägringen griper Övre... (Associated Press) I denna December 26, 2013 foto från U.S. Coast Guard underhåller isbrytare Mackinaw en rederifil på St. Marys River som förbinder Lakes och Huron. Det har varit så bittert kallt för så... (Associated Press) I denna februari 11, 2014, underofficer 3rd Class Ryan Alderman studerar instrument i bron av skäret Mackinaw, som dockas i Cheboygan, Mich., efter veckor av isbrytning uppgifter på övre... (Associated Press) I denna Jan 9, 2014 foto tillhandahålls av den amerikanska kustbevakningen en konvoj av Great Lakes lastfartyg linje upp för att följa en isbrytare på St Marys River, som länkar Lakes Superior och Huron. Från och med februari..... (Förenade Pressen) I februari 11, 2014 foto piren och fyren vid Lake Michigan Little Traverse Bay vid Petoskey, Mich., är omgiven av tjock is. Nästan 88 procent av de stora sjöarnas yta har frusit över... (Associated Press) I denna februari 2, 2014 foto människor besöker grottorna på Apostelöarna National Lakeshore i norra Wisconsin, omvandlas till en bländande uppvisning av isskulpturer genom den arktiska belägringen griper Övre... (Associated Press) POOL PHOTO -- I denna februari 11, 2014 flygfoto Mackinacbron över Mackinacsundet spänner över ett istäcke som sträcker sig in i horisonten i Michigan. Från och med den 13 februari sträckte sig istäcket... (Associated Press) Det har varit så bittert kallt så länge i Övre Mellanvästern att de Stora sjöarna nästan är helt täckta av is. Senast de kom så här nära var 1994, då 94 procent av sjöarnas yta var frusen. Från och med torsdagen sträckte sig istäcket över 88 procent, enligt den federala regeringens Stora sjöarnas miljöforskningslaboratorium i Ann Arbor. Avsnitt av sjöarna, som håller nästan en femtedel av sötvattenet på världens yta, härdar nästan varje vinter. Den frysningen håller kustbevakningens flotta på nio isbrytare sysselsatt med att röja vägar för fartyg som transporterar viktig last såsom eldningsolja, salt och kol. Men under de senaste fyra årtiondena har det genomsnittliga istäcket minskat med 70 procent, säger forskare, förmodligen delvis på grund av klimatförändringarna. Ändå, som den här säsongen visar, kortsiktiga vädermönster kan överträffa fleraåriga trender. Vintern kom tidigt och med hämnd och vägrar att lossa sitt grepp. "Den arktiska virveln kom ner, och isen bara fortsatte", sade George Leshkevich, en fysisk vetenskapsman med det federala labbet. Den djupa frysningen är mer än en nyhet. Genom att begränsa avdunstningen, kan det bidra till att fylla på sjön vattennivåer — en process som började förra året efter en rekordsänka som daterar sig till slutet av 1990-talet. Även att få lättnad är städer längs sjöarna som har förpuppats med sjöeffektsnö, vilket sker när kallluftsmassor suger upp fukt från öppet vatten och dumpar det över land. Buffalo, N.Y, fick nästan 43 inches snö i januari, men denna månad bara 13 inches har fallit, en nedgång som till stor del beror på frysningen av Lake Erie även om Lake Ontario har varit i stort sett öppen, sade prognosmakare Jon Hitchcock i National Weather Service. Tung is kan också skydda fiskägg från rovdjur, och den har förtjust fotografer, isfiskare och våghalsiga snöskotrar. Vid Apostelöarnas National Lakeshore i Wisconsin har det bergfasta skyddet gjort det möjligt för omkring 35 000 besökare att traska miles över Lake Superior för att utforska grottor med bländande isformationer. Det är första gången på fem år som sjöytan har varit fast nog att tillåta passage. Utan att släppa in kylan har isen inte upplevt den vanliga tina-och-fryscykeln, så naturens konstnärskap är ännu mer delikat och vackert, med nålliknande hesfrostkristaller strödda över ark som dinglar från grotttak som jättekronor. "Att se dem så här är nästan en upplevelse en gång i livet", sa överintendenten Bob Krumenaker. Det finns till och med en (uppenbarligen) tung-in-cheek Facebook sida som inbjuder människor att gå med i en konvoj av snöskotrar, bilar och andra fordon på en nästan 80-mile vandring över Michigansjön. Strunta i att vattnet är delvis öppet och experter varnar för att isen kan vara farligt instabil. »Om det fryser, och du missar denna chans, när skall det då hända igen?» på sidan står det. "Känn dig fri att bjuda in fler!" För kustbevakningens isbrytarteam är det bara affärer. De har loggat fyra gånger mer timmar den här säsongen än genomsnittet för samma period under de senaste åren, sade Kyle Niemi, talesman för agenturens Cleveland distrikt högkvarter. Den 240 fot långa Mackinaw började sina plikter 16 dec. — flera veckor tidigare än vanligt — och arbetade nonstop fram till 8 feb, då trafiken saktade tillräckligt för att tillåta en paus. »Som ni kan föreställa er, är besättningen trött», konstapeln. Michael Davanzo sade denna vecka under en tur av fartyget i sin hemmahamn i Cheboygan. En 35-årig kustbevakningsveteran som har tillbringat 12 år på sjöarna, Davanzo sade i vinter är det tuffaste han upplevt eftersom isen kom så snart och är så tjock och utbredd, och vädret har varit ständigt bittert. Mackinaw, som 2006 fick i uppdrag att ersätta ett äldre fartyg med samma namn, är konstruerat speciellt för tjänstgöring vid de stora sjöarna. Den drivs av två "Azipod"-propellrar som kan snurra 360 grader och avfyra vattenstrålar vid intilliggande is, vilket försvagar den. Ibland kör besättningen skeppets bog på ett istäcke för att knäcka det med ren vikt. Eller så går de bakåt och hugger upp is med propellerbladen. När det blir tufft, finns det en murbräcka alternativ — slunga det förstärkta skrovet direkt mot väggar av is som kan vara flera meter tjock. Arbetsbelastningen minskar vanligtvis kraftigt efter navigationslås på Saint Marys River, länken mellan Lakes Superior och Huron, nära i mitten av januari och de flesta stora lastfartyg docka för vintern. Men isen var så tjock i år att ett antal fraktfartyg fortfarande kämpade för att slutföra slutleveranserna dagar senare. Redan nu håller efterfrågan på vägsalt och eldningsolja i Mellanvästern några isbrytare sysselsatta. En dag förra månaden, använde Mackinaw 16 ansträngande timmar för att hjälpa ett fraktfartyg att pressa igenom en smal 3,5-mile avsnitt av St Marys. När Mackinawen anfaller isen brusar motorerna och fartyget vibrerar. Bullret och rörelsen är "som att leva i en jordbävning 16 timmar om dagen," underofficer 3: e klass Ryan Alderman sade. Davanzo hoppas på regn och varmare temperaturer som skulle smälta lite is innan slussarna öppnas igen i slutet av mars, då Mackinaw kommer att våga sig på Lake Superior och klara vägar för järnmalms- och koldragare. »Men om vädret håller sig så här», sade han, »kanske vi bryta is ända till mitten av maj.» Trots olägenheten finns det en silverkant för skeppare. Sedan lågvattenperioden började i slutet av 1990-talet har de tvingats bära lättare laster för att undvika att skrapa botten i grunda kanaler och hamnar. Kraftig snö och regn 2013 höjde slutligen vattennivån. Istäcke blockerar avdunstning, den främsta orsaken till lågvatten. Det kommer också att hålla sjöarna svalare under en längre tid i år, vilket försenar uppkomsten av kraftig avdunstning säsong, rapporterade forskaren John Lenters i ett papper förra månaden, även om fördelen delvis kompenseras av steg upp avdunstning strax innan isen bildas. I Lake Superior är snöbunden Isle Royale nationalpark hem för en krympande och inavlad vargpopulation som oftast är instängd på ön. Biologer hoppas att en eller två nykomling ska våga sig till parken nu när sjön nästan är helt frusen. Parkens första vargar tros ha korsat en isbro från Kanada, 15 miles bort, i slutet av 1940-talet. Det finns också en chans att en eller flera av öns vargar kan ta tillfället i akt att fly. "De är ovettiga resenärer", sa veteranvargexperten Rolf Peterson. "Och de behöver inte en anledning som skulle vara vettig för oss." ___ Följ John Flesher på Twitter på http://twitter.com/JohnFlesher . Om denna vinter behövde en temalåt, kan det vara “Ice Ice Baby.” De stora sjöarna är på gränsen till ett rekord för istäcke. — Under den senaste till två veckor har vi sett snabba partier på Lakes Superior, Huron och Michigan, sade Jeff Andresen, docent i Michigan State Universitys geografiavdelning som också är den statliga klimatologen. Istäcket på sjöarna ökade från 79,7% till 88,4% bara under den senaste veckan, vilket gör att regionen ligger nära rekordet på nästan 95% satt i februari 1979, enligt uppgifter som sammanställts av National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations Stora sjöarnas miljöforskningslaboratorium i Ann Arbor. ■ Relaterade: 4 Michigan städer bland de snöigaste i Amerika ■ Relaterade: Relentless vinter savs snöavlägsnande budgetar Det omfattande istäcket har haft en del intressanta och positiva effekter, som att stänga av sjöeffektsnö, vilket gör det soligare i delar av norra och västra Michigan och begränsa avdunstning, vilket kan bidra till att öka sjönivån. Och istäcket, sade Andresen, kunde hjälpa till att fördröja våruppvärmningen — goda nyheter för jordbrukarna eftersom det hjälper till att hålla vissa grödor, som fruktträd, vilande längre och mindre mottagliga för frysning tidigt under växtsäsongen. Andresen sade att vintern 2013-14 också håller på att bli en av de fem kallaste i Michigan i inspelad historia, även om det fortfarande är tidigt att säga för säkert. — Vi ha inte sett många vintrar så här som äro kalla från början till slut, sade han och noterade, att detta är den fjärde på varandra följande månaden som är kallare än normalt. ”Det har varit en extraordinär vinter, och istäcket är en manifestation av den ovanligt kalla vintern.” Han varnade för att temperaturer som väntas på 40-talet nästa vecka kan skada chanserna att slå rekord för istäcke. — Med tanke på det varmare vädret nästa vecka kanske det inte är med i korten, men det är sätt, långt över det normala, sade Andresen. Ändå varnade han för att ”lägga undan snöslungan ännu” eftersom vissa prognoser förutspår att extremt kallt väder kan återkomma senare under säsongen. George Lessens, chefsmeteorolog vid WZZM-TV (Kanal 13) i Grand Rapids, var överens om att istäcket vid de stora sjöarna är betydande, men han tvivlar på att regionen kommer att slå rekord. "Vi kunde se sjöarna komma nära det rekordet om vi hade ytterligare en vecka till 10 dagar (av underfrysning temperaturer), men vi kommer att gå in i 40-talet nästa vecka. Det kommer verkligen att sätta bromsarna på det,” sade han. Om sjöarna inte slår rekordet kan vi skylla på Ontariosjön. "Lake Ontario är fortfarande ganska lite avslöjad. De håller alla tillbaka,” Lessens sade. Ontariossjöns djup och den tjutning som Niagarafallen orsakar gör att den behöver långa sträckor av exceptionellt kallt väder för att frysa. Den hade istäcke på drygt 40% torsdag. Andra sjöar är nästan helt täckta: Superior, 93,6%; Huron, 95%, och Erie, 95,7%. Michigan var på 81%. Den omfattande issjön gav en bakgrund till US Rep Candice Miller, en Harrison Township Republican, på torsdag när hon reste ombord på den amerikanska kustbevakningens 225-fots isbrytare, Hollyhock, från Port Huron. “Jag var intresserad av att se upp nära den stora mängden isfiltrering Lake Huron och extremt imponerad av skicklighet, hängivenhet och uthållighet visas av besättningen på Hollyhock när de skär genom isen,” Miller sade i ett nyhetsmeddelande. – Vinterns brutalt kalla förhållanden skapar ännu större utmaningar när de arbetar för att hålla sig före isen och förbereda sig för issylt under vårtinan. Vad är en sammanfattning?
Article: CHEBOYGAN, Mich. (AP) — From the bridge of the Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw, the northern Huron Lake looks like a vast, snow-covered field dotted with ice plates as large as boulders — a battlefield for the icebreaker's 58-man crew during one of the grossest winters in memory. In this Feb. 5, 2014 photo photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard a yardstick measures the thickness of some of the ice crew of the intersects Katmai Bay, background, battles during ice breaks... (Associated Press) Coast Guard Cutter Biscayne Bay, a 140-foot ice-breaking tugboat, sails the waters near Chicago and towards the beaches off Indiana, Feb. 12, 2014. Biscayne Bay helped break ice on the southern part... (Associated Press) In this February 6, 2014 aerial photo is a view of Lake Huron looking south towards Port Huron, Mich., right, and Sarnia, Ont., left. This winter has been so bitterly cold for so long that the sprawling Great... (Associated Press) In this February 7, 2014 photo is provided by the American Coast Guard icebreaker Katmai Bay escorts lgo Steel with a cargo of road salt through the Strait of Mackinac. In this Jan. 10, 2014 photo provided by the United States Coast Guard, Great Lakes freighter Arthur M. Anderson, left, and James R. Barker, seen from icebreaker Mackinaw, on the St. Marys River, is... (Associated Press) In this Feb. 12, 2014 photo provided by the United States Coast Guard icebreaker Biscayne Bay passes Chicago's Navy Pier, left, as it through ice-covered waters Michigan en route to Indiana... (Associated Press) In this February 2, 2014 photo people visit the caves of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in northern Wisconsin, converted into a brilliant display of ice sculptures of the Arctic Siege gripping Upper... (Associated Press) In this December 26, 2013 photo from U.S. Coast Guard maintains icebreaker Mackinaw a redisserie on St. Marys River connecting Lakes and Huron. It has been so bitterly cold for so... (Associated Press) In this February 11, 2014, Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Alderman studies instruments in the bridge of the cut Mackinaw, docked in Cheboygan, Mich., after weeks of icebreaking tasks on upper... (Associated Press) In this Jan 9, 2014 photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard a convoy of Great Lakes cargo ship line up to follow an icebreaker on the St. Marys River, which links Lakes Superior and Huron. As of February..... (United Press) In February 11, 2014 photo the pier and lighthouse at Lake Michigan Little Traverse Bay at Petoskey, Mich., is surrounded by thick ice. Almost 88 percent of the surface of the Great Lakes has frozen over... (Associated Press) In this February 2, 2014 photo people visit the caves of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in northern Wisconsin, transformed into a dazzling display of ice sculptures through the Arctic siege gripping Upper... (Associated Press) POOL PHOTO -- In this February 11, 2014 aerial photo Mackinac Bridge across the Mackinac Strait spans an ice cover extending into the horizon of Michigan. As of 13 February, the ice sheet extended... (Associated Press) It has been so bitterly cold so long in the Upper Midwest that the Great Lakes are almost completely covered in ice. The last time they got this close was in 1994, when 94 percent of the surface of the lakes was frozen. As of Thursday, the ice cover extended over 88 percent, according to the Federal Government's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor. Sections of the lakes, which hold nearly a fifth of the freshwater on the surface of the world, harden almost every winter. That freeze keeps the Coast Guard fleet of nine icebreakers busy clearing roads for ships carrying important cargoes such as fuel oil, salt, and coal. But over the past four decades, the average ice cover has decreased by 70 percent, say scientists, probably partly due to climate change. Yet, as this season shows, short-term weather patterns can surpass several years of trends. Winter came early and with revenge and refuses to loosen its grip. "The Arctic swirl came down, and the ice just continued," said George Leshkevich, a physical scientist with the federal lab. The deep freeze is more than news. By limiting evaporation, it can help replenish lake water levels — a process that began last year after a record sink dating to the late 1990s. Even to get relief are cities along the lakes that have been pupated with lake effect snow, which happens when cold air masses absorb moisture from open water and dump it over land. Buffalo, N.Y, received almost 43 inches of snow in January, but this month only 13 inches have fallen, a decline largely due to the freezing of Lake Erie although Lake Ontario has been largely open, forecaster Jon Hitchcock said in the National Weather Service. Heavy ice can also protect fish eggs from predators, and it has delighted photographers, ice fishermen, and daring snowmobiles. At the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin, the rock solid shelter has enabled some 35,000 visitors to trudge miles across Lake Superior to explore caves with dazzling ice formations. It is the first time in five years that the lake surface has been stuck enough to allow passage. Without letting the cold in, the ice has not experienced the usual thaw-and-freeze cycle, so nature's artistry is even more delicate and beautiful, with needle-like hesfrost crystals strewn over sheets dangling from cave roofs like giant crowns. "Seeing them like this is almost an experience once in a lifetime," said Superintendent Bob Krumenaker. There is even a (obviously) heavy-in-cheek Facebook page inviting people to join a convoy of snowmobiles, cars and other vehicles on an almost 80-mile hike across Lake Michigan. Ignore the fact that the water is partially open and experts warn that the ice can be dangerously unstable. "If it freezes, and you miss this chance, when will it happen again?" on the side it says. "Feel free to invite more!" For the Coast Guard icebreaker team, it's just business. They have logged four times more hours this season than average for the same period in recent years, said Kyle Niemi, spokesman for the agency's Cleveland district headquarters. The 240-foot Mackinaw began his duties Dec. 16. — several weeks earlier than usual — and worked nonstop until Feb. 8, when traffic slowed enough to allow a break. "As you can imagine, the crew is tired," officer. Michael Davanzo said this week during a tour of the ship in his home port in Cheboygan. A 35-year-old Coast Guard veteran who has spent 12 years on the lakes, Davanzo said this winter is the toughest thing he's experienced because the ice came so soon and is so thick and widespread, and the weather has been constantly bitter. Mackinaw, commissioned in 2006 to replace an older ship of the same name, is designed specifically for service on the Great Lakes. It is powered by two "Azipod" thrusters capable of spinning 360 degrees and firing water jets at adjacent ice, weakening it. Sometimes the crew drives the ship's bow on an ice sheet to crack it with pure weight. Or they go backwards and cut up ice with the propeller blades. When it gets tough, there is a battering ram alternative — hurling the reinforced hull directly at walls of ice that may be several feet thick. The workload is usually greatly reduced after navigation locks on the Saint Marys River, the link between Lakes Superior and Huron, near mid-January and most large cargo ships dock for winter. But the ice was so thick this year that a number of freighters were still struggling to complete the final deliveries days later. Already, the demand for road salt and fuel oil in the Midwest keeps some icebreakers busy. One day last month, Mackinaw used 16 exhausting hours to help a freighter push through a narrow 3.5-mile episode of St Mary's. When Mackinawen attacks the ice, the engines roar and the ship vibrates. The noise and movement are "like living in an earthquake 16 hours a day," Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Alderman said. Davanzo hopes for rain and warmer temperatures that would melt a little ice before the locks reopen in late March, when Mackinaw will venture on Lake Superior and clear roads for iron ore and coal haulers. "But if the weather stays this way," he said, "we might break ice until mid-May." Despite the inconvenience, there is a silver edge for skippers. Since the low-water period began in the late 1990s, they have been forced to carry lighter loads to avoid scraping the bottom of shallow canals and ports. Heavy snow and rain in 2013 finally raised the water level. Ice cover blocks evaporation, the main cause of low water. It will also keep the lakes cooler for a longer time this year, delaying the appearance of heavy evaporation season, reported researcher John Lenters in a paper last month, although the advantage is partially offset by steps up evaporation just before the ice is formed. In Lake Superior, snow-bound Isle Royale National Park is home to a shrinking and inbred wolf population that is usually trapped on the island. Biologists hope that one or two newcomers will venture to the park now that the lake is almost completely frozen. The park's first wolves are believed to have crossed an ice bridge from Canada, 15 miles away, in the late 1940s. There is also a chance that one or more of the island's wolves may take the opportunity to escape. "They're unsense travelers," said veteran wolf expert Rolf Peterson. "And they don't need a reason that would make sense to us." ___ Follow John Flesher on Twitter at http://twitter.com/JohnFlesher If this winter needed a theme song, it could be “Ice Ice Baby.” The Great Lakes are on the verge of a record for ice cover. “In the past two weeks we have seen rapid parties at Lakes Superior, Huron and Michigan,” said Jeff Andresen, associate professor of the Michigan State University Geography Department who is also the state climatologist. The ice cover on the lakes increased from 79.7% to 88.4% in the last week alone, making the region close to the record of nearly 95% set in February 1979, according to data compiled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor. ■ Related: 4 Michigan cities among the snowiest in America ■ Related: Relentless winter saps snow-removal budgets The extensive ice cover has had some interesting and positive effects, such as shutting down sea power snow, making it more sunny in parts of northern and western Michigan and limiting evaporation, which can help increase lake level. And the ice sheet, Andresen said, could help delay spring warming — good news for farmers because it helps keep certain crops, such as fruit trees, dormant longer and less susceptible to freezing early in the growing season. Andresen said that the winter of 2013-14 is also becoming one of the five coldest in Michigan in recorded history, although it is still early to say for sure. “We haven’t seen many winters like this that are cold from start to finish,” he said, noting that this is the fourth consecutive month that is colder than normal. “It has been an extraordinary winter, and the ice sheet is a manifestation of the unusually cold winter.” He warned that temperatures expected in the 1940s next week could damage the chances of breaking a record for ice cover. “Given the warmer weather next week, it may not be in the cards, but it’s ways, way above normal,” Andresen said. Yet he warned against ‘putting away the snow lung yet' because some forecasts predict that extremely cold weather may return later in the season. George Lessens, chief meteorologist at WZZM-TV (Channel 13) in Grand Rapids, agreed that the ice sheet on the Great Lakes is significant, but he doubts that the region will break records. "We could see the lakes getting close to that record if we had another week to 10 days (of freezing temperatures), but we will enter the 40s next week. It will really put the brakes on it,” he said. If the lakes don't break the record, we can blame Lake Ontario. "Lake Ontario is still quite little revealed. They're all holding back," Lessens said. The depth of Lake Ontario and the howling caused by Niagara Falls make it need long stretches of exceptionally cold weather to freeze. It had ice cover on just over 40% Thursday. Other lakes are almost completely covered: Superior, 93.6%; Huron, 95%, and Erie, 95.7%. Michigan was at 81%. The extensive lake of ice provided a background to US Rep Candice Miller, a Harrison Township Republican, on Thursday as she traveled aboard the US Coast Guard's 225-foot icebreaker, Hollyhock, from Port Huron. “I was interested in looking out close to the large amount of ice filtration Lake Huron and extremely impressed with skill, dedication and endurance shown by the crew of Hollyhock as they cut through the ice,” Miller said in a news release. “The brutally cold conditions of winter create even greater challenges when they work to stay ahead of the ice and prepare for ice jam during the spring. What is a summary?
– Det har varit så kallt så länge i området kring de stora sjöarna att sjöarna nu för första gången på 20 år är nästan helt täckta av is. Istäcket har nu nått 88% över de fem sjöarna, mest sedan 1994, då 94% av deras yta var frusen, finner AP. Genomsnittligt istäcke har minskat med ca 70% under de senaste fyra decennierna, så årets djupa frysning kommer att göra mycket för att fylla på sjövattennivåerna genom att begränsa avdunstning. "Det har varit en extraordinär vinter, och istäcket är en manifestation av den ovanligt kalla vintern", berättar Michigans delstatsklimatolog Detroit Free Press. Istäckesrekordet skulle kunna brytas nästa vecka om den nuvarande ökningstakten fortsätter, säger en meteorolog, även om Ontariosjön "håller alla tillbaka" med istäcke på bara 40%, orsakad av dess djup och churn av Niagarafallen. På Lake Superior, som är nästan 94% frusen över, kan man för första gången på flera år nå Apostel Islands isgrottor till fots.
– It has been so cold for so long in the Great Lakes region that the lakes are almost completely covered in ice for the first time in 20 years. The ice cover has now reached 88% over the five lakes, mostly since 1994, when 94% of their surface was frozen, finding AP. Average ice cover has decreased by about 70% over the past four decades, so this year's deep freezing will do much to replenish seawater levels by limiting evaporation. "It has been an extraordinary winter, and the ice cover is a manifestation of the unusually cold winter," Michigan state climatologist Detroit Free Press says. The ice cover record could be broken next week if the current rate of increase continues, says a meteorologist, although Lake Ontario "holds everyone back" with ice cover of just 40%, caused by its depth and churn of Niagara Falls. On Lake Superior, which is almost 94% frozen over, you can for the first time in several years reach the Apostle Island ice caves on foot.