Winter ice on lakes, rivers, ponds: A thing of the past?

[News]

If you're planning to ice skate on a local lake or river this winter, you may need to think twice, according to scientists from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. From sources as diverse as newspaper archives, transportation ledgers and religious observances, the researchers have amassed 150 years of lake and river ice records. All show a steady trend of fewer days of ice cover.

More... (http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=110967&org=NSF&from=news)