Experts’ predictions that the Great Lakes could hit record high temperatures this summer come as both good and bad news, says one local outdoorsman.

“Swimmers are enjoying it,” said Al Oleksuik, who lives near the Welland River in Chippawa.

“I notice a difference here. (The water is 24°C). It usually doesn’t hit that until mid-August. I have a feeling we’re headed towards (26°C), which is extremely warm.”

Lake Superior — the world’s largest lake — is having a record year as far as temperatures go, thanks largely to low ice cover last winter.

If that continues, Superior and the rest of the Great Lakes will set records for warm temperatures, according to Jay Austin, associate professor of physics at the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Large Lakes Observatory.

Austin, who studies Lake Superior’s temperatures, said the lake is 5 to 7°C warmer than it usually is in mid-July, while the Great Lakes in general are running 2 to 7°C warmer.

“It’s going to set records, or come close, depending on where you are,” he said.

While not a climate expert, Austin said the mild winter — and 2009 having been a strong El Nino year — could be behind the increase in water temperatures.

He said lakes have distinct seasons that are dictated by an indicator known as stratification, meaning a layer of warm water that forms over a layer of cool water.

And with the mild winter, there was low ice cover so the exposed water absorbed more heat, which in turn melted the ice quicker creating a cycle of warming.

“The start of stratification happened a month early this year, which is very rare,” said Austin.

Austin and Oleksuik said there are positives and negatives to record lake temperatures.

Swimmers and beachgoers mostly enjoy the warm water, but certain fish species do not. Also, bacteria growth rates are closely linked to temperatures, meaning the warmer the water is, the faster bacteria can reproduce.

“Lots of fish have various temperature ranges they’re comfortable in,” said Austin. “Some fish, they benefit from warm water. Others hate it.”

Oleksuik said while the food source for fish is good, the increases in algae growth can drive away or kill aquatic life.

Both say it’s difficult to say what the record lake temperatures will mean in the long run.

“We can sit and hypothesize, but there are no real trends to go by. We have to get out there and see what we can learn,” said Austin.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Oleksuik. “There are pluses, but in general it’s never a good thing when you start seeing unusual changes like that.”

Meanwhile, 11 of 34 public beaches sampled for high bacteria levels across Niagara were posted unsafe for swimming Thursday afternoon, according to public health’s website.

Niagara Region tests beaches along Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the Niagara River each week during June, July and August. Some of the more popular ones are tested more frequently.

When water samples show unacceptable levels of E. coli bacteria, a beach is posted with a sign to indicate it’s unsafe.

A beach might also be posted unsafe for swimming because of floating debris, oil, excessive weed growth and bad odours.

It’s common to find high bacteria counts at beaches after days of heavy rain and high winds.

Bjorn Christensen, public health’s director of environmental health, said it’s too early to compare this summer’s beach activity to past years.

“We really do our data comparison to the previous year at the end of each summer,” he said.

“There’s no question the water temperatures are quite nice to go to the beach. But at the same time, warm water is what bacteria thrives on to reproduce, so that’s something we have to watch for in our regular testing.”

Christensen said the water quality this summer has been “up and down,” depending on factors such as days with heavy precipitation.

“Some days the number of (beach) closures are numerous, some days they are minimal. It’s hard to predict a trend at this time.”