Minnesota Lake Ice Shrinking as Climate Change Warms Winters

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Officials from Minnesota’s natural resources and pollution control agencies detail the ways climate change is diminishing Minnesota winters, with 10 to 14 fewer days of lake ice over the past 50 years.

It’s a change they say hurts local economies, the environment, and the Minnesota way of life.

Warmer lake waters are leading to more toxic algal blooms, higher chances of invasive species, and declines in populations of lake trout and walleye.

Officials called for state and federal investments in climate mitigation efforts to protect Minnesota winters as we know them.