McKay says the pros of having lots of lake ice far outweigh the cons relating to the environment.
For coastal communities, he says, ice cover protects against erosion.
“If you drive along the Ontario shoreline of Lake Erie, you see evidence of receding bluffs, and that’s because those bluffs are being battered by winter waves. When we have ice cover, it protects the shoreline against erosion.”
It’s the same for lake effect snow. McKay says ice protects against westerly winds that predominate across latitudes sweeping over the lake, accumulating moisture and dumping heavy snowfall in places such as Buffalo and Cleveland.
“When we have ice cover, we have much less lake effect snow.”
Through the use of a drone, this image by photographer David Piano shows items on a rural property in southwestern Ontario in danger of falling into Lake Erie due to ongoing soil erosion. (David Piano/X)