HR: 11:50h
AN: GC11A-06    [PDF]
TI: Nonlinear Response of Lake Ice Breakup to Changes in Air Temperature
AU: * Weyhenmeyer, G A
EM: Gesa.Weyhenmeyer@ma.slu.se
AF: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Dept. of Environmental Assessment P.O. Box 7050, Uppsala, 75007 Sweden
AU: Meili, M
EM: Markus.Meili@itm.su.se
AF: Stockholm University, Inst. of Applied Environmental Research Frescativ„gen 50/54, Stockholm, 10691 Sweden
AU: Livingstone, D M
EM: living@eawag.ch
AF: Swiss Federal Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (EAWAG), Water Resources Dept. Ueberlandstr. 133, Duebendorf, 8600 Switzerland
AB: The timing of ice breakup in lakes and rivers has been of interest for centuries by affecting both navigation and food resources as well as many biogeochemical processes in the water. Of particular interest is the response of ice breakup to climatic changes. An assessment of ice records since 1961 from 202 Swedish lakes covering a wide range of latitudes (55$\deg$N to 68$\deg$N) confirms that air temperature is a major forcing factor. However, the influence of air temperature is not linear, but increases from cold to warmer regions. Further, the interannual variability in the timing ice breakup increases dramatically with temperature. Ice breakup is a very good example that ecosystems may respond non-linearly to climate change.
DE: 1630 Impact phenomena
DE: 1845 Limnology
DE: 1863 Snow and ice (1827)
SC: Global Climate Change [GC]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting