Lake and river ice cover

Assessment versions

Published (reviewed and quality assured)

• Lake and river ice cover (CLIM 020) - Assessment published Nov 2012

Justification for indicator selection

The appearance of ice on lakes and rivers requires prolonged periods with air temperatures below 0 ⁰C. The deeper the lake, the more cold is needed to cool down the lake so that ice forms. Higher temperatures will affect the duration of ice cover, the freezing and thawing dates and the thickness of the ice cover.

Lake ice reduces underwater light and vertical mixing, that is, the exchange of water from different depth layers. The existence of lake ice, and the timing of lake ice break-up, is thus of critical ecological importance, influencing for instance the production and biodiversity of phytoplankton and the occurrence of winter fish kills.

Scientific references:

• . M. Leppäranta et al., „Investigation of ice and water properties and under-ice light fields in fresh and brackish water bodies“, Nordic Hydrology 34 (2003): 245–266, doi:10.2166/nh.2003.015. D. M. Livingstone, „Lake Oxygenation - Application Of A One-Box Model With Ice Cover“, Internationale Revue Der Gesamten Hydrobiologie 78 (1993): 465–480, doi:10.1002/iroh.19930780402; M. Melles u. a., „Sedimentary geochemistry of core PG1351 from Lake El’gygytgyn - a sensitive record of climate variability in the East Siberian Arctic during the past three glacial-interglacial cycles“, Journal of Paleolimnology 37 (2007): 89–104, doi:10.1007/s10933-006-9025-6. G. A. Weyhenmeyer, T. Blenckner, und K. Pettersson, „Changes of the plankton spring outburst related to the North Atlantic Oscillation“, Limnology and Oceanography 44 (1999): 1788–1792, doi:10.4319/lo.1999.44.7.1788. H. G. Stefan, X. Fang, und J. G. Eaton, „Simulated fish habitat changes in North American lakes in response to projected climate warming“, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 130 (2001): 459–477, doi:10.1577/1548-8659(2001)130<0459:SFHCIN>2.0.CO;2; L. J. Jackson u. a., „A comparison of shallow Danish and Canadian lakes and implications of climate change“, Freshwater Biology 52 (2007): 1782–1792, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2427.2007.01809.x.

Indicator definition

• Observed change in duration of lake and river ice cover a) Danube River, at Budapest, 1876–2011 and b) Lake Kallavesi, Finland, 1833–2011.

Units

• Ice break-up dates of lakes and rivers (day of the year)

Policy context and targets

Context description

Ice cover of rivers and lakes is one of the parameters that determine function of aquatic ecosystems. Preparing for climate change is a major challenge for water management in Europe. Climate change is not explicitly included in the text of the Water Framework Directive. However, water management under the WFD will have to deal with the challenges posed by climate change. The stepwise and cyclical approach of the WFD River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) process makes it well suited to adaptively manage climate change impacts. In particular, the review of RBMPs every six years establishes a mechanism to prepare for and adapt to climate change.

Targets

No targets have been specified.

Related policy documents

• Climate-ADAPT: Mainstreaming adaptation in EU sector policies
  Overview of EU sector policies in which mainstreaming of adaptation to climate change is ongoing or explored
• Climate-ADAPT: National adaptation strategies
  Overview of activities of EEA member countries in preparing, developing and implementing adaptation strategies
• DG Climate Action: What is the EU doing about climate change?
  Activities of the EU regarding climate change (both mitigation and adaptation)
• White paper - Adapting to climate change: towards a European framework for action
  EU framework for adaptation to climate change, leading to a comprehensive EU adaptation strategy by 2013

Methodology

Methodology for indicator calculation

Trend lines have been added.

Methodology for gap filling

Not applicable

Methodology references

No methodology references available.

Data specifications

EEA data references

• No datasets have been specified here.

External data references

• First Ice Appearance and Final Disappearance on Danube River, at Budapest, 1876–2011
• Data on Ice-breakup Dates and Freezing Dates of Lake Kallavesi, Finland, 1833-2011

Data sources in latest figures

Uncertainties

Methodology uncertainty

Not applicable

Data sets uncertainty

Time series of lake and river ice cover are available from several lakes and rivers in Europe. It is not currently possible to provide a comprehensive picture of lake and river ice cover in Europe.

Further information on uncertainties is provided in Section 1.7 of the EEA report on Climate change, impacts, and vulnerability in Europe 2012 (http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/climate-impacts-and-vulnerability-2012/)

Rationale uncertainty

No uncertainty has been specified