Welcome to the IceWatch website!

Canada's climate is changing in response to increased emissions of greenhouse gases, among other factors. But we don't know enough about how the climate will change in different regions of Canada, or how ecosystems will react to the change. Accurately recording and analyzing "ice on" and "ice off" events (also known as ice phenology) offers one practical way to learn how climate change is affecting our environment.

Scientists are studying the natural freeze-thaw cycles of Canadian waters, because lake and river ice cover is being directly affected by climate change. Turkey Lakes Watershed Study scientists have recorded the ice phenology of 4 lakes in the Turkey Lakes Watershed, located about 50km north of Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, since 1980.

This graph shows the date when Turkey Lake, one of the four lakes in the Turkey Lake watershed, was covered with ice for the winter. For instance, in 1980 the lakes froze over on the 319 Julian day of the year, or November 14. In 1999 the lakes froze over on the 349th Julian day of the year, or December 15. The red linear trend line shows a definite trend towards a later date in the year for permanent ice formation or Winter Ice-On.

Many scientists around the world have studied the freezing and thawing of ice on freshwater lakes and are concluding that the climate is indeed warming. Dr. John Magnuson, who was the lead author of an Ice Phenology study and recently published in the respected journal 'Science', was quoted in the Toronto Star newspaper: "The results of the study, said Magnuson, "are not calculations," which are subject to bias and instrument error, but "direct human observations of a 150-year trend of ice freeze and thaw" that are difficult to refute. "It is clearly getting warmer in the Northern Hemisphere," he said. "This is very strong evidence of a general warming from 1845 to 1995 in areas where there is ice cover." (Toronto Star, Sept. 8, 2000)

Seasonal differences in the ice cover of lakes and rivers can have a serious impact on Canadian ecosystems. For example, changes in the migration patterns and breeding seasons of birds, food supplies for fish and mammals, water temperature and water chemistry, can occur. Ice cover also affects national trade, transportation, outdoor recreation, and tourism.

The specific dates when ice first covers, and then finally leaves the surface of Canadian waterbodies, have been reported regularly at a small number of locations scattered around our country. Our scientists would like to study ice phenology information from many more locations across Canada because climate change is not consistent across the country, and there are huge spatial gaps in the present monitoring network.

We need your help and want you to become an Icewatch volunteer observer. Becoming a volunteer is very easy. All you need to do is:

• choose a location to watch for winter "freeze up" and spring "break up" on a nearby lake, bay, or river
• record your observations
• and send your observations to us via our website

Your information will be entered into a database and you will be able to view a map showing your observation location and the location of other Icewatch volunteers in Canada.

Attention Veteran Icewatchers!

Many Canadians have kept ice records for years, and even generations. These long-term records are great sources of environmental information, and are already being used by scientists to study changes in Canadian climate. If you are aware of any such records, please contact the EMAN Coordinating Office. Our scientists would greatly appreciate access to such important information and would be pleased to assist you, or the person who has the records, to contribute the information to our national database. Persons contributing over 20 years of consecutive data will receive the coveted EMAN "Citizen Scientist - Icewatch" shirt.