Earlier ice breakup induces changepoint responses in duration and variability of spring mixing and summer stratification in dimictic lakes

Reductions in ice cover duration and earlier ice breakup are two of the most prevalent responses to climate warming in lakes in recent decades. In dimictic lakes, the subsequent periods of spring mixing and summer stratification are both likely to change in response to these phenological changes in ice cover. Here, we used a modeling approach to simulate the effect of changes in latitude on long-term trends in duration of ice cover, spring mixing, and summer stratification by moving a well-studied lake across a range of latitudes in North America (35.2 degrees N to 65.7 degrees N). We found a changepoint relationship between the timing of ice breakup vs. spring mixing duration on 09 May. When ice breakup occurred before 09 May, which routinely occurred at latitudes < 47 degrees N, spring mixing was longer and more variable; when ice breakup occurred after 09 May at latitudes > 47 degrees N, spring mixing averaged 1 day with low variability. In contrast, the duration of summer stratification showed a relatively slower rate of increase when ice breakup occurred before 09 May (< 47 degrees N) compared to a 109% faster rate of increase when ice breakup was after 09 May (> 47 degrees N). Projected earlier ice breakup can result in important nonlinear changes in the relative duration of spring mixing and summer stratification, which can lead to mixing regime shifts that influence the severity of oxygen depletion differentially across latitudes.

Automated summary

This study found that reductions in ice cover duration and earlier ice breakup in lakes due to climate warming can lead to changes in the duration of spring mixing and summer stratification. The timing of ice breakup showed a relationship with spring mixing duration, with differences observed based on latitude. The projected earlier ice breakup could result in nonlinear changes in the relative duration of spring mixing and summer stratification, impacting oxygen depletion severity differently across latitudes.