Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33206655›Full record

ArticlePloS one2020

Increased winter drownings in ice-covered regions with warmer winters.

Sapna Sharma, Kevin Blagrave, Simon R Watson, Catherine M O'Reilly, Ryan Batt, John J Magnuson, Tessa Clemens, Blaize A Denfeld, Giovanna Flaim, Laura Grinberga and 6 more

Abstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Ice-related winter drowning: an area for evidence-informed injury prevention.Injury prevention : journal of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Small lakes are suffocating as winters warm.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Drowning risk and climate change: a state-of-the-art review.Injury prevention : journal of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention · 2022
    Review
  9. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors.

Sapna SharmaDepartment of Biology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-4571-2768
Kevin BlagraveDepartment of Biology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Simon R WatsonDepartment of Biology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Catherine M O'ReillyDepartment of Geography, Geology, and The Environment, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, United States of America.
Ryan BattRutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States of America.
John J MagnusonCenter for Limnology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America.
Tessa ClemensDrowning Prevention Research Centre Canada, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Blaize A DenfeldDepartment of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Giovanna FlaimDepartment of Sustainable Agro-ecosystems and Bioresources, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy.
Laura GrinbergaDepartment of Botany, The Latvian Museum of Natural History, Riga, Latvia.
Yukari HoriDepartment of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Alo LaasInstitute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia.
Lesley B KnollItasca Biological Station and Laboratories, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Lake Itasca, Minnesota, United States of America.
Dietmar StraileLimnological Institute, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.
Noriko TakamuraLake Biwa Branch Office, Center for Environmental Biology and Ecosystem Studies, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Otsu, Shiga, Japan.
Gesa A WeyhenmeyerDepartment of Ecology and Genetics/Limnology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Winter activities on ice are culturally important for many countries, yet they constitute a high safety risk depending upon the stability of the ice. Because consistently cold periods are required to form stable and thick ice, warmer winters could degrade ice conditions and increase the likelihood of falling through the ice. This study provides the first large-scale assessment of winter drowning from 10 Northern Hemisphere countries. We documented over 4000 winter drowning events. Winter drownings increased exponentially in regions with warmer winters when air temperatures neared 0°C. The largest number of drownings occurred when winter air temperatures were between -5°C and 0°C, when ice is less stable, and also in regions where indigenous traditions and livelihood require extended time on ice. Rates of drowning were greatest late in the winter season when ice stability declines. Children and adults up to the age of 39 were at the highest risk of winter drownings. Beyond temperature, differences in cultures, regulations, and human behaviours can be important additional risk factors. Our findings indicate the potential for increased human mortality with warmer winter air temperatures. Incorporating drowning prevention plans would improve adaptation strategies to a changing climate.

Indexed as

Hot TemperatureIceSeasonsAutomobile DrivingChildDrowningHumansItalyUnited StatesYoung AdultIce

Identifiers

PMID33206655
PMCPMC7673519

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.