Long-term ice phenology records for Ontario Lakes

Intern: Jessica Ollinik

In the summer of 2024, I participated in a Data Rescue Internship where I archived historical ice data from Ontario lakes. Dr. Sapna Sharma of York University has a collection of long-term Ontario lake ice phenology records (freeze and thaw dates) acquired from several stewards across the province, with some Ontario ice records dating back to the mid-1800s. My internship was focused on cleaning and formatting this data for upload to DataStream. DataStream is an open-access platform where water quality data is formatted in a very consistent schema, and the data is easily accessible to the public. The data uploaded during my internship marks the first time that ice data has been included in DataStream, as their schema was only recently updated to include ice phenology parameters. This will encourage increased usage of Canadian lake ice data in global climate change analyses, and I am thankful to have been a part of this unique contribution to ice phenological research. 

Frozen Kempenfelt Bay and Downtown Barrie. Photo taken circa 1920. COURTESY OF THE BARRIE HISTORICAL ARCHIVE