Climate change is here. It's here. We have clear evidence of it now. The report that's just been released makes it even more scary than we previously thought it was.
In terms of its impact on the Great Lakes, obviously it's warming water temperatures. McMaster University's Dr. Pat Chow-Fraser has found temperatures of 27 degrees where pike populations exist, which is beyond the range that they normally can survive in.
So yes, it's warming up the waters, which allows things like algal blooms to happen much more easily over a longer period of time, but also with increased water temperatures there is increased evaporation. Historically, over the past decade, we have had significantly less ice cover. This past winter is an exception, but previous to that with less ice cover, warmer waters, increased evaporation, there are lower water levels across all the Great Lakes.