Losing winter ice is changing the Great Lakes food web – here’s how light is shaping life underwater

Ice on Lake Erie provides winter light for algae thriving below. Sue Thompson, CC BY-ND

Winters on the Great Lakes are harsh – so much so that the scientists who work there often focus on the summer months, when tiny microbes at the base of the food chain were thought to be most productive.

However, emerging research is changing our understanding of these winter ecosystems and shining a light on a vibrant world of winter activity just below the ice.