Report: Ice coverage on Lake Superior down 79 percent since 1973
According to an American Meteorological Society report, the amount of ice covering all the Great Lakes has dropped more than 70 percent over the past 40 winters. The Duluth News Tribune reports the study doesn't include the 2011-12 season. As of this winter, only about five percent of the Great Lakes froze. The lead researcher says a lack of ice coverage can reduce water levels, damage water quality and accelerate shoreline erosion.