Bob CollinsIf it’s true that Lake Superior is a “canary in a coal mine,” as some scientists suggested last week, perhaps it’s time to shop for a new pet.
The New York Times today reports on the warming of Lake Superior
Total ice cover on the lake has shrunk by about 20 percent over the past 37 years, he said. Though the change has made for longer, warmer summers, it’s a problem because ice is crucial for keeping water from evaporating and it regulates the natural cycles of the Great Lakes.
But the warming shows no sign of abatement. This year, the waters in Lake Superior are on track to reach — and potentially exceed — the lake’s record-high temperatures of 68 degrees Fahrenheit, which occurred in 1998.
The lake’s temperature could reach a record high by this time next month.
In other canary news, June was the hottest month on record, the fourth month in a row of record warmth.
