A Survey of AVHRR PATMOS-x Lake-Surface Temperature Trends and Cloud Optical Properties of the North American Great Lakes Region

A multi-year lake-surface temperature (LST) time series (1979-2015) for the five Laurentian Great Lakes was constructed analysis of NOAA’s Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) instrument on polar orbiting satellites. The time series was cloud-cleared and LSTs determined using the NOAA Pathfinder Atmosphere’s Extended (PATMOS-x) climate dataset and the Clouds from AVHRR Extended System (CLAVR-x) processing system. The result is a space-time array of LSTs used to diagnose the spatially-varying warming rates of the Laurentian Great Lakes. Additionally, trends in remotely-sensed cloud properties over the lakes and in the surrounding region are identified and compared in the context of the LST warming rates. Preliminary results indicate that the highest LST warming rates occur over the deepest parts of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan, and that LST is warming faster than the land surface surrounding the Great Lakes.