Usually a person saying "I have a pond in my countryside" or "I’m living next to a lake" does not attach any fundamental importance to the name. Somehow it so happens that when it comes to an artificial body of water, people pronounce "pond" and "lake" without seeing the difference. In other words, in layman's terms, one object is not very different from the other. Well, except that everyone knows that a lake is supposed to be larger than a pond, and that it doesn't get as silted up.
What is a lake?
A lake - is a deep-water space with a constant inflow and discharge of water. Lakes are always located in depressions of land, which are created by nature. It should be noted that the territory does not have a one-sided slope, and the formation of depressions can be different.
The origin of the basin may be as follows:
- Tectonic
- Glacial
- Faulty
- Volcanic
- Aeolian (wind action)
Where do lakes form most often:
- Old river beds
- Rubble
- Near seas
What is a pond?
A pond - a closed water structure fed by the collection of surface melt and rainwater, as well as groundwater. That is, based on these definitions, a lake has a flow (albeit extremely slow, barely noticeable), but a pond does not.
Often people are convinced that a pond is a dammed stream (river), and a lake is a reservoir formed after a spill and further recession of water. When it comes to an artificially created water body, people do not see a big difference - lake/pond.
A pond is an artificial water body. For this purpose, people have to dig excavations or conduct damming of gullies, as well as gullies in the valleys where streams, rivers flow. In this regard, the general characteristic includes a slight slope of the bottom, as well as relatively steeply shaped banks.
The pond has a practical purpose:
- Irrigation of fields
- Gathering water based on feeding from melt water, rain
- Fish and bird breeding
- Active recreation
What do the hydrobiologists say?
Hydrobiologists (specialists who study the life of fresh and oceanic waters in all its manifestations) consider the natural illumination of the bottom, which plays an important role in the formation of the biological structure of the water body, as the main feature that distinguishes a pond from a lake.
In hydrobiology, a pond is unambiguously considered to be a water body with the entire bottom illuminated by the sun and without pelagic organisms (plankton, necton) in the water column. A lake, on the other hand, according to the classification accepted in hydrobiology, is a full-fledged water body having both littoral (the entire coastal zone), pelagic and profundal (deep water zone). That is, a lake is such a deep body of water that some parts of its bottom are never touched by sunlight.
Despite such specific scientific definitions, presenting the differences between one type of body of water and another, the only thing that is firmly fixed in the people is that the smaller one is a pond, while the lake is always larger in area. And there is an opinion that the lakes have a more regular shape (usually an oval or circle). Although an artificial pond can be given any shape, geometric or arbitrary...
Main differences between ponds and lakes
1. The nature of reservoirs: ponds are artificial, and lakes are natural.
2. Significant difference in area and depth.
3. Type of water: ponds have only fresh water, lakes - fresh, salt, mixed.
4. During the cold season in winter, ponds may freeze, but lakes do not.
5. Type of feeding: ponds - meltwater and rain, lakes - groundwater.
6. Presence of flow: the pond is a standing body of water, and the lake has a slow flow.
7. Degree of bottom illumination: the pond is fully illuminated, but the bottom is not illuminated.
8. Microorganisms: the pond does not have any life, and the lake is inhabited by simple microorganisms (plankton, nection).
Why is it important to get help from the experts?
Be that as it may, there is a difference between a lake and a pond, so if you want to get your own artificial water body, build a beach on the shore of your lake or pond, or create a nice and clean area for swimming - it is wise to consult with experts. Their advice will help you to avoid possible mistakes.
The road from conception to realization is often a difficult one. Daring dreams crumble to ashes when faced with harsh reality, not even halfway into life. At such moments, it is good when there is a competent helper to give worthwhile advice and help implement the plan.
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