When it comes to knowing a thing or two about ice covered lakes, our friends to north in Canada have quite a bit of experience! However, there is actually very little data on under-ice lake ecology.  The aquatic scientists at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, were interested in how climate change might affect lake ecosystems.

Climate change has caused lake ice to form later in the winter and thaw earlier in the spring. Their research has revealed that the timing of when ice forms on lakes in the winter can have big effects on life in the water the following spring and summer.

The delay of ice forming allows the algae to continue to photosynthesis for longer, allowing the zooplankton that feed on the algae to survive throughout the winter.  When the ice begins to melt those hungry zooplankton begin eating the new spring algae long before other species even become active.

While the research is just the tip of the iceberg, it provided a snapshot of the changes to the population of algae and zooplankton which in turn can potentially disrupt the aquatic food web.

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