Author(s): Mikhail Naumenko; Sergey Karetnikov; Anastasia Boykova
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: The important role for the largest lake in Europe-Lake Ladoga plays winter conditions. Ice phenomena on the surface of Lake Ladoga can be seen for more than half the year (from the beginning of November until the middle of May). Ice cover lasts 172±3 days in average. We have investigated the ice regime on Lake Ladoga using aircraft surveys and satellite images. Nearly 1300 surveys of the lake's ice cover covering the years from 1943 to the present were analyzed to determine the basic statistical characteristics of Ladoga ice cover based on long-term observation. The aim of our presentation was to estimate the relationship between ice cover and the accumulated freezing degree-days (AFDDs) for different kinds of the winter’s severity. A relationship between severity of winter and ice extent/dates have been establish for regions with different depth. Duration of complete ice cover was used for splitting all of the winters into six groups. Extremely cold winters were determined as the seasons with complete ice cover more than 90 complete ice cover days. Throughout all these years it was discovered that the lake surface was completely covered with ice more than 90 days during 5 winters. In average, complete ice cover takes place1-2 months with mean 962.4 AFDDs. Extremely warm winters (5 seasons) were when the maximum ice cover was less than 70% of the lake area. Severity of winters as maximum of AFDD varies from 1853.7 in the extremely cold winter (1955-1956) to 265.4 in the very warm winter (2007-2008).
Year: 2010