An Investigation of Temperate Region Lake Ice in Central Ontario

This study investigates ice formation for three lakes in central Ontario, detailing the climatological influences on the ice phenology for two seasons. This study also presents an investigation of the use of the Canadian Lake Ice Model (CLIMo) for simulating ice and snow cover for two of the study lakes during the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 ice season. Field-based measurements combined with data collected from an on-shore automatic weather station, camera imagery during both seasons, as well as the addition of ice thickness from a Shallow Water Ice Profiler (SWIP) for the 2016-2017 ice year, form the basis of the results presented in this thesis. Snow cover, lake ice and climate interactions at lower latitudes have rarely been studied and the results of this thesis form the basis for further exploration of these interactions as lakes ice impacts climate, regional energy and water budgets, aquatic productivity, and socioeconomic activities.M.Sc