The Great Lakes are facing an unprecedented climate challenge, with both heat waves and cold snaps becoming more common, complicating predictions about the region. A study highlights that climate change has significantly increased these temperature extremes since the mid-1990s, especially following the El Niño event of 1997-1998. All five Great Lakes have recorded temperatures above 100%, and Lake Superior has seen the most significant shifts.
These rapid temperature changes threaten fish populations, which struggle to adapt quickly, potentially leading to large die-offs. Reduced ice cover exacerbates the situation by absorbing more solar radiation and disrupting ecological processes like nutrient mixing and oxygen levels.
Dr. Hazem Abdelhady, the study’s lead author, warns that the Great Lakes are caught in a feedback loop of extreme temperatures, with notable increases in both heat and cold days since 1998. The findings underscore the need to account for these temperature extremes, in addition to long-term warming, as the Great Lakes’ role in regional weather patterns becomes increasingly unpredictable.
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