BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – As the weather warms up in the coming weeks, state environmental officials are asking Vermonters to keep an eye out on when local ponds and lakes lose their ice cover.
The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation tracks ice-out dates to help scientists decide when to begin their seasonal water quality sampling efforts. When the surface ice fully melts in the spring, the heavy cold water sinks and the water column fully mixes allowing researchers to get a more accurate baseline amount of phosphorus levels, which can contribute to algae blooms.
Over the 47 of monitoring, officials say they have also seen a clear trend of earlier ice-out dates, which can be a sign of climate change.
You can report lake ice observations using the DEC’s online reporting form.