Ice timing (formation or ice-on and clearance or ice-off) for Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming, USA (1927-2022)

Lakes are sentinels of environmental change. In cold climates, lake ice phenology–the timing and duration of ice cover during winter–is a key control on ecosystem function. Ice phenology appears to be driven by a complex interplay between physical characteristics and climatic conditions. Under climate change, lakes are generally freezing later, melting out earlier, and experiencing a shorter duration of ice cover; however, few long-term records exist for large, high-elevation lakes which may be particularly vulnerable to climate impacts. Here, we provide an ice phenology data over the last century (1927-2022) for North America’s largest high-elevation lake—Yellowstone Lake.

湖泊是环境变化的哨兵。在寒冷气候区域，湖冰物候（lake ice phenology）——即冬季冰盖的出现与消融时间及持续时长——是调控生态系统功能的关键因素。湖冰物候的形成似乎由物理特性与气候条件间的复杂相互作用所驱动。在气候变化背景下，多数湖泊普遍呈现结冰时间推迟、消融时间提前、冰盖持续时长缩短的特征；然而，大型高海拔湖泊的长期观测记录极度匮乏，而此类湖泊或许对气候影响尤为脆弱。本数据集提供了北美最大高海拔湖泊——黄石湖（Yellowstone Lake）——1927年至2022年这一个世纪以来的湖冰物候观测数据。