Why does lake ice clear rapidly after snow melts in spring?

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ice in lakes and rivers Heat flow through an ice cover (see text).

Lake ice clears rapidly in the spring primarily because the melting of snow cover allows more solar radiation to penetrate the ice.1

Once the insulating snow layer is gone, the ice cover absorbs significantly more solar energy, which accelerates the warming of the ice and the water beneath it. This process is further bolstered by the mixing of this warmed water with the already deteriorating ice, leading to a swift final clearing of the ice cover. While melting typically begins at shorelines or near stream inflows due to contact with warmer water, the removal of snow is the critical factor that enables the rapid, widespread decay of the main ice body at the end of the season.1