Ice on/Ice off monitoring is a simple type of lake monitoring. Volunteers simply record the date that ice completely covers the lake in the fall, and record the date that the ice is completely gone from the lake in the spring. This information is used to track changes in the open-water season, which is useful in many different types of lake-related research projects.
Ice Observation Report - "Ice On" (3200-131)
Use this form to record the date of complete ice cover on your lake.
Ice Observation Report - "Ice Off" (3200-131)
Use this form to record the date that all of the ice is gone from your lake.
For a list of ALL monitoring forms, click here (exit UWEX Lakes)
Ice Monitoring Procedures Manual
This manual walks through how to monitor lake ice cover and report it into the SWIMS database. (PDF)
Ice Monitoring Demonstration Video
This short video walks through how to monitor ice cover, illustrates unusual ice cover circumstances, and demonstrates ice data entry into the SWIMS database.
Skip to main content
