A mild winter across the Midwest has resulted in the early thawing of lakes throughout the state, and as a result, Lake Mendota is covered with floating chunks of ice, or in some places, no ice at all.
Because of the warm weather, ice-fishing shanties have been rare on Lake Monona as well.
The thawing of the lakes has led to debate on the underlying causes of higher temperatures.
The most obvious and direct cause is because it's getting warmer,\ said Grant Perry, UW-Madison professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences. ""Whether that warming is in any way related to global warming or whether it's related strictly to local effect is difficult to make convincing statements about.""
In January, the city of Madison's temperature was 13 degrees above average.
""The month of January was the warmest in 111 years,"" Assistant State Climatologist Ed Hopkins said.
However, Hopkins said warmer temperatures are part of a global climactic change. He claimed six thousand years ago it was just as warm, if not warmer, across the hemisphere.
A study released Monday by Clear the Air linked the temperature increases to global warming. According to Clear the Air, ""Eighty percent of the lakes and rivers in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan … are thawing earlier each year, in some cases as many as 21 days earlier than in years past.""
Global warming, the gradual increasing of the Earth's temperature caused by burning fuel and industrial
pollutants, is generally associated with human actions.
""An overwhelming majority of people working in climatology appear to be convinced that human activities are responsible,"" Perry said. ""My personal opinion is that as a citizen we need to reduce our consumption of fossil fuels by whatever means.""
The Sierra Club has made global warming an important issue and is taking several approaches to reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The club also supports new investments in renewable energy in the Midwest.
For example, the club vocally backs Wisconsin Assembly Bill 459, which requires Wisconsin utilities to
seriously commit to energy efficiency, Sierra Club Chapter Director Caryl Terrell said.
However, Perry cautioned against pinning too much of the blame for higher temperatures on humans.
""I think there's a general attitude that if you see warming temperatures in a lot of places, then it's tied to warming of the global climate, that's greenhouse gases,"" Perry said. ""But I wouldn't want to make a blanket statement.""
\
