TRAVERSE CITY — A climate change researcher is warning that shifting weather patterns could leave some Norther Michigan ski communities out to dry.
The state estimates that winter recreation brings in around $3 billion a year and accounts for a hundred thousand mostly seasonal jobs.
But Dr. Elizabeth Burakowski, a scientist at the Institute for the study of Earth, Oceans and Space, says that a shifting climate could threaten the consistency of seasonal business.
“We think about how future will change, and when we think about winters, the choices we make today will impact what we experience in the future,” she said.
Burakowski also says that the Great Lakes region has generally seen less ice cover in recent years, a result of climate change that may make some activities more dangerous.
That could be seen with weaker ice and by a shortening of the winter season, which may increase demand over fewer snowy periods.
“When there’s also pent up demand, it might be folks that are pushing the envelope a little bit more, when they see ice and they want to get out there,” Burakowski said. “So when we think about the future, there will be shifting ice conditions, and it will be a shorter ice season, and it will be a shorter pond hockey season and a shorter ice-fishing season.”
Burakowski says that even though we sometimes see periods of heavy and consistent snow, a changing climate can still spell trouble for local economies.
As the atmosphere increases in temperature, clouds hold onto more water vapor and become more likely to produce rain instead of snow.
Erratic weather patterns make it more difficult for businesses and guests to plan for recreation, while decreased snowfall can mean dryer forests and a higher chance of forest fires over the summer.