Long-Term Dynamics of Ice Phenomena—An Indicator of Global Warming in the Southern Urals

Abstract

The article presents the first study of the long-term dynamics of ice phenomena in lakes of different landscape–climate zones in the Southern Urals. The overwhelming majority of lakes, whatever their typology and geographic occurrence, show a decrease in the duration of the period of ice phenomena at a longer open-water period because of the later freeze-up. The governing factor in the long-term dynamics of ice phenomena is the mean annual air temperature. The largest is the effect of the average air temperature in the freeze-up period (October–March). The morphometric, hydrological, and hydrochemical characteristics have no direct effect on the differences in the long-term dynamics of ice phenomena in individual lakes. These differences are determined by the landscape–climate zones. The difference between water bodies in urbanized landscapes and other water bodies is much greater than that between the lakes in natural landscape–climate zones.