Kempenfelt ice study shows that our climate is warming

Kempenfelt Bay is one of Barrie's greatest amenities. Not only is it heavily used for recreation in all seasons, but it is also a defining feature of the city's landscape. Twice each year, its surface is transformed. When the deep freeze hits in early winter, it freezes over, usually on a quiet night with no wind. Out go the fishing huts and snowmobiles, and, if there is a break in snowfall, out go the skaters too. In April, after days of warming sunshine, the ice breaks up, often during a day of strong winds. Migrating waterfowl arrive immediately, and shortly after, Barrie's boaters are again on the water. Doubtless, some of Barrie's residents have always measured the passage of the seasons by reference to events on the bay. Natives, too, dependent upon natural waterways for travel and food, must have had a keen interest in these transformations, in days gone by. Since 1852, Kempenfelt Bay's freeze and thaw dates have been recorded, and through good luck, I have the assembled record. Local residents,