NOAA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, offers satellite views of many regions of the United States, focusing a lot of attention on the coast of the oceans and the Great Lakes. One of their most fascinating views is of the Great Lakes region and specifically Lake Michigan. Within the satellite view is a vivid view of Eastern Wisconsin on cloud free days, including the Winnebago System, Bay of Green Bay, Green Lake and other major water bodies.
Anglers have used this tool extensively for years, watching water flows and ice break ups on area waters. Today’s photo tells a true story of what is going on prior to sturgeon spearing season on Lake Winnebago.
Image from space on 2-7-12
I have marked some of the visible areas of concern. The grayer ice colors usually indicate soft ice or lesser ice depths. Dark black spots suggest open water. The whitest areas of the photo should indicate the greatest ice depths, assuming no snow pack.
There are at least two north/south running cracks on the western half of the lake. The large crack running from Oshkosh to Neenah shows substantial width. The lesser sized crack (as indicated on the map) suggests a seam between two independent sheets of ice.
Areas of open water currently are the Fox River in Oshkosh, along with small areas on Lake Poygan, Lake Winneconne, Lake Butte des Mortes and near Stockbridge on Lake Winnebago. It also appears as if ice is deteriorating (or has significantly less ice) outside of Fond du Lac on the south end of Lake Winnebago and along the northwest shore in the Neenah area.
Granted these photos should never be relied upon for navigation or ice depth estimations, but it does tell an important story of the changes occurring on the system today. The sturgeon season will require extreme caution, as conditions are changing daily. Good luck to all area spearers – Be cautious on the ice, and come home safely!
To view the daily satellite images, here is your link to Lake Michigan view: http://coastwatch.glerl.noaa.gov/modis/modis.cgi/modis?region=m&page=1
