Keywords: Changing Face of Lake Erie, Image of the Day DVIDS835622.jpg en In early March 2007 ice advanced and retreated over the surface of Lake Erie along the United States-Canada border The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer modis gsfc nasa gov MODIS on NASA's aqua nasa gov/ Aqua satellite captured cloud-free images of the changing lake on March 9 top and March 13 bottom In the image taken on March 9 ice almost completely covers the lake but water peeks through large cracks stretching across the water body In the image taken on March 13 only thin translucent layers of ice remain -- in the eastern half and near the western tip Less dramatic but still noticeable is the lighter snow cover around the lake in the later image In the March 13 image roadways near the lake especially to the north and east can be seen more easily According to the www great-lakes net/lakes/ref/eriefact html Great Lakes Information Network Lake Erie is the shallowest of all the Great Lakes Its average depth is 19 meters 62 feet and its maximum depth is 64 meters 210 feet In contrast Lake Superior has an average depth of 147 meters 483 feet and a maximum depth of 406 meters 1 332 feet Erie's shallowness not only makes it more prone to fluctuating water levels but also enables this lake to freeze and thaw more readily than its neighbors On March 5 just four days before icing over Lake Erie had been about as ice-free as it would again appear on March 13 For images of the lake on March 5 see the MODIS Rapid Response images of the rapidfire sci gsfc nasa gov/subsets/ USA3/2007064/USA3 2007064 terra western half and rapidfire sci gsfc nasa gov/subsets/ USA4/2007064/USA4 2007064 terra eastern half People who live to the south and east of the Great Lakes can spend much of the winter digging out their driveways thanks to a phenomenon called www islandnet com/~see/weather/elements/lkefsnw2 htm lake effect snow When cold air such as an air mass from the Arctic passes over the open water of the lakes it picks up moisture and heat On the downwind side of the lakes the moisture in the air condenses into snow As long as the lakes are ice-free they can fuel lake-effect snow storms from fall until spring NASA Identifier lakeerie_amo_2007072_geo 2011-07-08 Glenn Research Center https //www dvidshub net/image/835622 835622 2013-02-08 04 31 WASHINGTON D C US PD-USGov Frozen Lake Erie Images from DoD uploaded by Fæ Satellite pictures of the Great Lakes NASA MODIS images of North America |