The problem under the players’ skates is not obvious.
The tournament took place a month later than usual due to thin ice, which forced organizers to postpone this event that was originally scheduled for January 3.
“We had slushy conditions, and less than six inches ice. It was impossible to hold it,” stated Steve Kudron, Grand Lake mayor.
This is something that many communities living near lakes are facing. They freeze in winter and offer a variety of activities. A major UN report about climate was released Monday. It stated that as the planet heats, the amount and time that ice keeps water solid are decreasing. These changes have forced communities to adapt and limit some winter activities, while raising concerns about long-term environmental or health problems.
Sapna Sharma is an aquatic ecologist from Toronto’s York University. She analyzed 100-200 years of data for 60 North American lakes and found that air temperature is the main driver of lake ice.
Sharma stated that in addition to shorter ice season, “winter weirding events”, which are more common, are also increasing in number.
She said, “You’ll experience really cold days and some very warm days with rain and some cold days again and some more rainfall and the melting snow.” “That’s exactly what we are experiencing in Toronto right now.
Building fire-resistant houses, reducing overfishing, and building infrastructure that can withstand severe storms are some of the ways you can address climate change’s impacts. There are no easy solutions to preserve lake ice. Only a sharp reduction in greenhouse gas emissions can slow down warming and the subsequent loss of ice over the coming decades.
According to records kept by Northern Water, a major water provider in northeastern Colorado’s northeast, Grand Lake has had a shorter ice period for the past 20 years by 14 days. According to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, November’s average temperature has risen by about five degrees Fahrenheit. The second hottest November on record was this past November.
David Gochis, a hydrometeorologist with the National Center for Atmospheric Research says that Colorado’s trend towards very hot summers and last years unseasonably warm autumn combined to raise the lake’s water temperature. This has led to a gradual and delayed freeze.
Grand Lake’s hockey tournament had to be postponed, already a sign that the community is adapting.
Brian Blumenfeld, organizer, stated, “Moving forward I would schedule it on the last weekend of January at the earliest to ensure that we don’t have another year like this.”
According to a 2021 study by the University of Colorado Boulder, there are economic and recreational impacts as well as the impact on recreation activities.
Adam Jokerst, Greeley’s water manager, said that if a lake freezes, it isn’t evaporating water. Greeley is a rapidly expanding Colorado city that just purchased an aquifer in order to support future growth. He said that water left open for longer periods of time increases its evaporative loss over the year.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, hot, stagnant water can also provide ideal conditions for algal blooms that can be toxic to animals and humans.
Jokerst recited a common phrase used in the water utility industry, “We can treat all water,” Jokerst stated.
Lake communities across North America are feeling the heat.
Alaska, for example, is experiencing an unusual season. It has a warm start and then drops to the end of fall.
Lynnette Warren has been leading fishing groups in Alaska for 46+ years. This year’s warmer temperatures caused snow to melt at popular ice fishing lakes in the Matanuska–Susitna Borough north from Anchorage. The water reduced the weight of the ice. The ice became weaker. Cracks allowed water to seep through more. These lakes were not viable so fisherman avoided them and gathered in a few.
Warren stated that if those lakes are fished all the time, the chances of catching fish are greatly reduced.
Tourists who fish from boats pay more for a longer open-water season. It also means that the sun has more time to heat it, which is a danger to cold water fish who have suffered deaths in recent years. This coincides with record-settingsummer temperatures.
Frozen lakes and rivers are also important in connecting isolated communities, many of which are often remote, to Northern Canada and Alaska. Residents cannot reach outside services and goods without the ice. Changes in ice trends could be fatal for both transportation and recreation.
As five simultaneous hockey games take place at Grand Lake, a Johnny Cash tune blasts out of a speaker. The frigid air causes the humidity in the players’ breath to crystalize as they cheer on each other.
Rachel Kindsvatter is a hockey player and a caseworker who helped people who lost their homes to a wildfire in 2020. She says that it’s not fair to delay a tournament when there are so many other problems in the world. It’s still scary to have to delay it for a month so people don’t fall in.
She said, “Give it 10-20 years and who knows if (the tourney) will ever happen.”
