Huang et al. (2026) Key Contributors to Changes in Ice Phenology and Composition in Lowland Polish Lakes During 1983–2023: Climatic Variables and Lake Morphometry

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-04-06
• Authors: Wenfeng Huang, Ziyao Xu, Mingdong Li, Mariusz Ptak, Mariusz Sojka, Ruige Shi, N. Wang, Bing Qing Tan
• DOI: 10.1029/2025jd045695

Research Groups

Not specified in the abstract.

Short Summary

This study utilized the MyLake model with 40 years of observational data to investigate lake ice changes in Polish lowland lakes, revealing a significant decline in black ice and attributing shifts in ice phenology (delayed freeze-up, advancing break-up, thinned ice) and inter-lake differences primarily to air temperature, precipitation, and lake morphometry.

Objective

• To investigate the patterns and magnitudes of lake ice changes, including phenology (freeze-up, break-up) and ice cover composition (black ice, white ice), in Polish lowland lakes.
• To identify the drivers behind observed spatial and temporal differences in lake ice changes, considering factors like air temperature, precipitation, solar insolation, and lake morphometry.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Multiple Polish lowland lakes.
• Temporal Scale: 40 years.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: MyLake model.
• Data sources: 40 years of observational data.

Main Results

• A significant decline in black ice was observed across all lakes, while white ice showed minor trends but remarkable annual and seasonal variability, largely attributed to warming air temperature and varied changes in winter precipitation.
• Delayed freeze-up, advancing break-up, and thinned ice cover were evident in the lakes, with variations among them.
• Changes in freeze-up and break-up timing and ice thickness are primarily driven by air temperature, mediated by changing winter solar insolation and precipitation.
• Inter-lake differences in ice changes are caused by variations in both lake morphometry (especially depth) and regional climate changes.
• Lake morphometry constrains freeze-up and break-up timing and trends of freeze-up more than break-up trends.
• After accounting for lake morphometry, inter-lake differences in phenological timings and trends are explained by regional differences in winter air temperature, precipitation/snow, and their temporal changes.

Contributions

• Provides long-term (40 years) insights into lake ice changes, including ice cover composition (black vs. white ice), for Polish lowland lakes, addressing a gap in long-term observational data.
• Elucidates the primary drivers (air temperature, precipitation, solar insolation) and mediating factors (lake morphometry, regional climate differences) behind spatial and temporal variability in lake ice phenology and thickness.
• Quantifies the distinct roles of lake morphometry and regional climate in explaining inter-lake differences in ice changes.

Funding

Not specified in the abstract.

Citation

@article{Huang2026Key,
  author = {Huang, Wenfeng and Xu, Ziyao and Li, Mingdong and Ptak, Mariusz and Sojka, Mariusz and Shi, Ruige and Wang, N. and Tan, Bing Qing},
  title = {Key Contributors to Changes in Ice Phenology and Composition in Lowland Polish Lakes During 1983–2023: Climatic Variables and Lake Morphometry},
  journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1029/2025jd045695},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1029/2025jd045695}
}