TRCA Climate Data - Change in Lake Ontario Annual Maximum Ice Coverage (%)
This file is a download link to the Delta_dif_Ice_Max_2023_1973.tif This layer shows the change (or delta difference) in Lake Ontario annual maximum ice cover between two periods: 1973-2001 and 1994-2023.
This data can be explored through the WLO Data Explorer, along with other environmental layers.
Project Description
The “Compendium of Coastal Resilience Issues and Typology of Nature-based and Hybrid Solutions” project was supported by the Province of Ontario and the Canada Water Agency.
Stretching between the Niagara River in the south to Cobourg in the east, Western Lake Ontario is home to nearly a quarter of Canada’s population and the fastest growing region in the Great Lakes Basin.
Climate change poses a growing threat to communities and ecosystems along Western Lake Ontario, intensifying existing pressures such as urbanization, land conversion, and legacy contamination.
To help address these challenges, the Land to Lake Initiative was established in 2022 to foster stronger, more coordinated collaborations to enhance capacity for actions that improve water quality and ecosystem health in Western Lake Ontario.
This study supports the objectives of this partnership initiative by:
Broadening understanding of coastal resilience issues affecting this region, and
Identifying and visualizing different types of nature-based and hybrid (or “green-grey”) solutions that can help address these challenges.
For more information about this project, please see our project webpage: https://trca.ca/land-to-lake/issues-solutions-compendium/
Data Description
Change in Lake Ontario Annual Maximum Ice Cover (%)
Annual maximum ice cover (%) for Lake Ontario was calculated with the historical ice cover dataset available for the Great Lakes. It was obtained from the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (NOAA-GLERL) (https://www.glerl.noaa.gov/data/ice/#historical) in April 2026, providing a long-term record of ice concentration derived from a combination of satellite observations and in-situ measurements. The dataset was resampled using the methodology and open-source framework developed by Yang et al. (2020) (https://github.com/NOAA-GLERL/icegridresampling?tab=readme-ov-file).
This layer shows the change (or delta difference) in Lake Ontario annual maximum ice cover between two periods: 1973-2001 and 1994-2023.
Annual maximum ice cover layers are also available for the following periods upon request: 1973-1982, 1983-1992, 1993-2002, 2003-2012, and 2013-2023 Please email [email protected].
Datasets available for download
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Additional Info
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| Last Updated | July 1, 2026, 07:12 (UTC) |
| Created | July 1, 2026, 07:12 (UTC) |
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Domain / Topic
Domain or topic of the dataset being cataloged.
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Title
Title for the Dataset.
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TRCA Climate Data - Change in Lake Ontario Annual Maximum Ice Coverage (%) |
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Description
A description of the dataset.
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This file is a download link to the Delta_dif_Ice_Max_2023_1973.tif This layer shows the change (or delta difference) in Lake Ontario annual maximum ice cover between two periods: 1973-2001 and 1994-2023. This data can be explored through the WLO Data Explorer, along with other environmental layers. Project Description The “Compendium of Coastal Resilience Issues and Typology of Nature-based and Hybrid Solutions” project was supported by the Province of Ontario and the Canada Water Agency. Stretching between the Niagara River in the south to Cobourg in the east, Western Lake Ontario is home to nearly a quarter of Canada’s population and the fastest growing region in the Great Lakes Basin. Climate change poses a growing threat to communities and ecosystems along Western Lake Ontario, intensifying existing pressures such as urbanization, land conversion, and legacy contamination. To help address these challenges, the Land to Lake Initiative was established in 2022 to foster stronger, more coordinated collaborations to enhance capacity for actions that improve water quality and ecosystem health in Western Lake Ontario. This study supports the objectives of this partnership initiative by:
For more information about this project, please see our project webpage: https://trca.ca/land-to-lake/issues-solutions-compendium/ Data Description Change in Lake Ontario Annual Maximum Ice Cover (%) Annual maximum ice cover (%) for Lake Ontario was calculated with the historical ice cover dataset available for the Great Lakes. It was obtained from the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (NOAA-GLERL) (https://www.glerl.noaa.gov/data/ice/#historical) in April 2026, providing a long-term record of ice concentration derived from a combination of satellite observations and in-situ measurements. The dataset was resampled using the methodology and open-source framework developed by Yang et al. (2020) (https://github.com/NOAA-GLERL/icegridresampling?tab=readme-ov-file). This layer shows the change (or delta difference) in Lake Ontario annual maximum ice cover between two periods: 1973-2001 and 1994-2023. Annual maximum ice cover layers are also available for the following periods upon request: 1973-1982, 1983-1992, 1993-2002, 2003-2012, and 2013-2023 Please email [email protected]. |
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Dataset size in megabytes.
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0.09 |
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Metadata Identifier
Metadata identifier – can be used as the unique identifier for catalogue entry
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Published Date
Published date of the dataset.
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2026-06-29 |
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Type of access granted for the dataset (open, closed, service, etc).
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public |
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License used to access the dataset.
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Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) Open Data Licence v1.0 - Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) |
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Location
Location of the dataset.
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https://trca-camaps.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/camaps::trca-climate-data-change-in-lake-ontario-annual-maximum-ice-coverage- |
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Data Service
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Owner
Owner of the dataset.
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trca_d.macleod |
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Contact Point
Who to contact regarding access?
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Conservation Ontario |
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Contact Point Email
The email to contact regarding access?
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[email protected] |
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Publisher
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Conservation Ontario |
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Author
Author of the dataset.
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trca_d.macleod |
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Accessed At
Date the data and metadata was accessed.
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2026-06-30 |
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Identifier
Unique identifier for the dataset.
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edf324f1d0f146209053e51903a09217 |
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Language(s) of the dataset
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English |
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Link to dataset description
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https://trca-camaps.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/camaps::trca-climate-data-change-in-lake-ontario-annual-maximum-ice-coverage- |
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None |
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None |
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Conservation Ontario |
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