Observing Alaskan Lake and River Ice through Fresh Eyes: Focus on Freeze-up

Seeing ice first form on lakes and rivers signals the start of winter for many Alaskans. Despite longer and
warmer falls in recent years, trends in freeze-up timing are often inconclusive. Part of this challenge may
be defining whether freeze-up occurs as a single-day event or a progressive process with widely varied
timing depending on the waterbody and season of interest. Defining freeze-up in terms that matter to
how people use waters for travel, recreation, and subsistence is likely just as important. As part of a new
freshwater ice observation program, Fresh Eyes on Ice, we are looking for citizen observations and
insights into freeze-up and the entire ice cycle. We’ll discuss new efforts being made to improve ice
observation in Alaska and ways that you can help.