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After the year 2000, lake ice science has re-gained much attention, due to environ-
mental problems and due to climate change impact questions (Magnuson et al. 2000;
Lepp
ranta 2009a; Bengtsson 2011; Kirillin et al. 2012). The leading research topics have
been light transfer through ice, interaction between the ice and the water body, mathe-
matical modelling, remote sensing, and ice phenology time series analysis. Characteristics
of lake ice seasons are quite sensitive to climate variations. For human living conditions,
shorter ice seasons, while extending the open water season, with also thinner ice would
severely or even drastically limit traditional on-ice activities. Climate change issues also
necessitate a better understanding of the role played by lake ice cover in the emission of
greenhouse gases, especially methane, into the atmosphere, and in the global carbon
budget.
Research on winter biology of lakes has largely increased (Melnik et al. 2008; Salonen
et al. 2009; Shuter et al. 2012). Questions of life in extreme conditions have brought in
more research of lakes with perennial ice and pro-glacial lakes (Vincent and Laybourn-
Parry 2008; Keskitalo et al. 2013), especially in the Antarctic continent (Fig. 1.2 ). The
ecosystem of subglacial lakes has been largely unknown (Christner et al. 2006), but the
ä
Fig. 1.2
Supraglacial Lake Suvivesi in the western Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. The
photograph was taken from Basen nunatak about 300 m above the lake surface. The lake surface is
blue ice, the length of the lake is 3 km, its maximum depth is about 1.5 m, and it possesses a thin ice
cover of 5 - 10 cm (see Lepp ä ranta et al. 2013)
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