Snow and Ice Conditions in the Great Lakes

There are 6 spreadsheets within this file: Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake St. Clair, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. Comparisons of ice thickness can be made from lake to lake or within each lake. Also a comparison can be made between the quality of snow conditions and ice thickness.

View the Data: SnowIceGreatLks.xlsx

Sample Inquiry Questions:

Note: For a question to be testable, the locality, time, and variables must be specific.

General Questions:

  • Is there a relationship between latitude and ice thickness?
  • Does ice thickness vary from lake to lake?

Specific Questions:

  • Using the historical hydrology data sets, is there a relationship between ice thickness in the Great Lakes and water surface temperatures in 1967?
  • Using the historical hydrology data sets, is there a relationship between ice thickness in the Great Lakes and over lake temperatures in 1967?
  • Is ice thickness influenced by lake levels in a specific lake in 1967 or 1968?