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Jump to Coastwatch Statistics Page See also FVCOM ice model forecast: sup mih eri ont |
Latest NIC Ice Concentration West png,
East png,
KMZ
6-yr comparison of GLSEA SST and Ice 60-day SST/Ice Animation |
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Daily lake-wide mean ice cover
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Daily lake-wide mean SST
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Great Lakes Average Ice Concentration % Data |
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1973 - 2021 | 2021-2022 |
Great Lakes Average Ice Concentration Graphs: Compare All Years to Current Year |
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Superior graph |
Michigan graph |
Huron graph |
Erie graph |
Ontario graph |
Basin graph |
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Great Lakes Average Ice Concentration Long Term Average Compared to Current Year | |||||
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Superior data graph |
Michigan data graph |
Huron data graph |
Erie data graph |
Ontario data graph |
Basin data graph |
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Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery maps the surface microwave radar reflectivity at resolutions from a sub-meter to 100 m depending on the particular SAR satellite and mode. Since radar is an active sensor, sending a pulse with a return signal that is measured, the imagery is independent of the time of day. At typical radar frequencies, radar imagery can see through clouds and are considered "all-weather" instruments. Several geophysical parameters can be derived from SAR including sea surface wind speed, sea and lake ice types, surface algae scum features, and as an important resource for rapid response to oil spill detection.
The Sentinel-1 mission comprises a constellation of two polar-orbiting satellites, operating day and night performing C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging, enabling them to acquire imagery regardless of the weather. Sentinel-1A and Sentinel-1B share the same orbit plane with a 180° orbital phasing difference. With both satellites operating, the repeat cycle is six days for the Great Lakes.
Ice formations can be an obstacle for U.S. Coast Guard, commercial, and fishing boats. In order to understand ice formations and types of ice in the Great Lakes, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data from the NOAA CoastWatch Great Lakes Node is used to monitor six different types of ice, ice thickness, and ice cover. This risk assessment tool is known as the Ice Condition Index (ICECON).
MODIS (or Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) is a key instrument aboard the Terra (originally known as EOS AM-1) and Aqua (originally known as EOS PM-1) satellites. Terra's orbit around the Earth is timed so that it passes from north to south across the equator in the morning, while Aqua passes south to north over the equator in the afternoon.
The Great Lakes Surface Environmental Analysis (GLSEA) is a digital map of the Great Lakes surface water temperature and ice cover which is produced daily. The lake surface temperatures are satellite-derived from NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radar (AVHRR), Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite onboard the Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership spacecraft (VIIRS S-NPP), and NOAA-20 Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite ( VIIRS NOAA-20) imagery obtained through the NOAA Great Lakes CoastWatch program. Ice cover concentration is added using data provided by the National Ice Center. Lake surface temperatures are updated daily with information from the cloud-free portions of the previous day's satellite imagery (+/- 10 days). If no satellite imagery is available, a smoothing algorithm is applied.
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