The graph illustrates the highest percentage of ice coverage of the surface of three Great Lakes During the interval from 2000 to 2020. There is a similar trend followed by Lake superior and Lake Michigan, while Lake Erie had an alternative pattern. Albeit all the three lakes experienced a steep decline after 2015.
First, Lake Superior started with 40% ice coverage in 2000, with a summit point reached in 2015 of almost 95%, and an all-time low point of 20% in 2020. Simultaneously, Lake Michigan had always lower levels than Lake Superior but they both followed a compatible trend. The greatest difference between them was in 2005 when Lake superior had a 50% coverage while Lake Michigan had approximately 30%.
Conversely, Lake Erie had a completely distinctive pattern from 2000 when it had the highest level of coverage among the three lakes at that time. At the beginning, it had a moderate trend that fluctuated only between 90% and 95% for 15 years from 2000 to 2015. Remarkably, it peaked around 95% in 2010, but after 2015 it suffered a dramatically reduction all the way to the lowest level of 20% in 2020.
Looking at the graph, it’s obvious that overall, all the three lakes represented in the chart had steep reduction of surface ice coverage from 2015 onwards.
