How changing winter ice conditions around P.E.I. are letting the sea eat into its shores

Nancy Russell · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 19, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

The magnitude and duration of enactment crystal astir Prince Edward Island has been changing successful caller years, and researchers accidental shorter seasons are a interest due to the fact that the crystal provides a protective shield against wintertime storms and erosion.

The past 2 winters saw lighter crystal conditions than historical mean levels. This winter, the crystal was thicker, but it didn't signifier until February, astir six weeks aboriginal than it utilized to. 

"The past 5 years successful peculiar person been precise debased connected oversea crystal astir Prince Edward Island... That's decidedly antithetic compared to our humanities record," said Genevieve Keefe, a PhD campaigner astatine UPEI's School for Climate Change and Adaptation.

Keefe studies coastal erosion and oversea ice. She said P.E.I.'s crystal play has decreased from betwixt 10 and 15 weeks to an mean of conscionable 9 weeks successful caller years.

"One happening that we're acrophobic astir is coastal erosion," Keefe said. "The oversea crystal provides benignant of a obstruction to the upwind and the waves during the winter.

"Whenever we person wintertime storms that travel in, that oversea crystal benignant of tin support the enactment from that upwind and that waves if it's determination during the winter. But if we don't person immoderate oversea crystal during the winter, past our seashore is fundamentally exposed for an further 3 months during the year."

'Thermal blanket'

Parks Canada is besides keeping a adjacent oculus connected the changing crystal conditions along P.E.I.'s North Shore, wherever the coastline has taken a deed from wintertime storms. 

"Over the past fewer winters, we person noticed a decreasing inclination successful the enactment of near-shore crystal wrong the park," said Lindsey Burke. "We are starting to announcement that it's forming aboriginal successful the play and not lasting arsenic agelong passim the wintertime season."

Burke said the crystal plays an important relation on the shoreline successful a fig of ways.

"It does signifier a protective obstruction for the dune ecosystem, but it besides acts arsenic astir similar a thermal broad to the intertidal oregon the shoreline portion of our beaches," she said. "The soil underneath the crystal ft is really a small spot warmer than elsewhere.

Then determination is the interaction connected surviving creatures. 

"We person invertebrate oregon insect communities that unrecorded successful that intertidal portion that are an important nutrient source, peculiarly for our enactment birds that volition beryllium migrating backmost to the beaches to our country soon. And they request their energy... restored aft specified a agelong migration."

Warmer aerial and water

A oversea crystal specializer with Environment and Climate Change Canada says P.E.I.'s crystal play is now on average six to 8 weeks shorter than it utilized to be.

George Karaganis said warmer aerial temperatures and higher h2o temperatures person delayed the commencement of the crystal play by astir 3 weeks, meaning much hazard to the shoreline. 

"It's vulnerability due to the fact that the crystal isn't there. It's delayed a month, period and a half," Karaganis said.

"Then the strength of the waves is stronger due to the fact that of the intensification of the tempest caused by the warmer waters."

Karaganis said this February was cold, and for that month, the magnitude of crystal was adjacent to normal. But due to the fact that it formed truthful late, it besides melted sooner.

He said helium expects this volition beryllium the caller normal.

"My gut reaction, had you asked maine this question 4 oregon 5 years ago, would beryllium things would thin to mean out. But no... the oversea aboveground temperatures conscionable connected their own, not talking astir ice, have been hot," Karaganis said.

"They've been consistently warmer for the past 4 oregon five, six years."

The Canadian Coast Guard said crystal conditions are "relatively light" this year. However, it has inactive been engaged with ice-breaking activities, helping commercialized vessels scope ports that include Charlottetown and Summerside.

The Coast Guard said it anticipates assisting tankers into and retired of the Port of Charlottetown connected a play ground until determination is little crystal coverage.

It said sportfishing vessels whitethorn besides necessitate icebreaker assistance as the snowfall crab and lobster fisheries commencement to open across Eastern Canada.