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Lake ice phenology in Berlin-Brandenburg from 1947–2007: observations and model hindcasts

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Abstract

Rising northern hemispheric mean air temperatures reduce the amount of winter lake ice. These changes in lake ice cover must be understood in terms of resulting effects on lake ecosystems. Accurate predictions of lake ice phenology are essential to assess resulting impact. We applied the one-dimensional physical lake model FLake to analyse past variability in ice cover timing, intensity and duration of Berlin-Brandenburg lakes. The observed ice phenology in two lakes in the period 1961–2007 was reconstructed by FLake reasonably well and with higher accuracy than by state-of-the-art linear regression models. Additional modelling results of FLake for 38 Berlin-Brandenburg lakes, observed in the winter of 2008/09, were quite satisfactory and adequately reproduced the effects of varying lake morphology and trophic state. Observations and model results showed that deeper and clearer lakes had more ice-free winters, later ice cover freezing and earlier ice cover thawing dates, resulting in shorter ice-covered periods and fewer ice-covered days than shallow and less clear lakes. The 1947–2007 model hindcasts were implemented using FLake for eight Berlin-Brandenburg lakes without ice phenology observations. Results demonstrated past trends of later ice start and earlier ice end, shorter ice cover duration and an increase in ice-free winters.

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Abbreviations

SD:

ice start date

ED:

ice end date

ND:

number of ice days per winter

ID:

ice duration

IFW:

ice-free winters

Ta:

air temperature

NAO-I:

North Atlantic Oscillation-Index

n:

number

r:

Pearson’s correlation coefficient

p:

p-value for correlation

MAE:

mean absolute error

obs.:

observed

reg. mod.:

regression model

P:

P-value for trends

α:

significance level for trends

t*:

test value

Sa :

standard error

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Acknowledgements

Lake ice phenology data for Müggelsee and Lake Stechlin were supplied by T. Hintze, R. Adrian and G. Mohr (IGB). Potsdam station meteorological data were provided by the German Weather service (DWD). The lake-specific parameters of many Berlin and Brandenburg lakes were given by the Institute for Applied Freshwater Ecology GmbH (IaG GmbH). We are grateful to pupil from many primary schools, especially the Aktive Naturschule Templin, who observed the ice development in the winter of 2008/09 from lakes all over the state of Brandenburg. We thank J.J. Magnuson and an anonymous reviewer for valuable comments and suggestions that helped improve the original manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ecohydrology, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, D-12587, Berlin, Germany

    Juliane Bernhardt, Christof Engelhardt & Georgiy Kirillin

  2. Interdisciplinary Environmental Research Centre, Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg, Brennhausgasse 14, D-09599, Freiberg, Germany

    Juliane Bernhardt & Jörg Matschullat

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  1. Juliane Bernhardt
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  2. Christof Engelhardt
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Correspondence to Juliane Bernhardt.

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Bernhardt, J., Engelhardt, C., Kirillin, G. et al. Lake ice phenology in Berlin-Brandenburg from 1947–2007: observations and model hindcasts. Climatic Change 112, 791–817 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-011-0248-9

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