Winter Pond Temps

[MitchM]

The bottom of my, way south of you, pond is reading 38, I don't have one near the surface.
...!

Addy, does your Davis weather station have solar radiation and UV?
If so, what are the readings?
My solar radiation is peaking out at 617 watts/meter squared and the UV index reaches a high of 2.3 these days.
During the summer I get a maximum of 1300 watts/meter squared and a UV index high of 10.

 

[MitchM]

There must be just enough solar radiant heat reaching the liquid water under the ice to raise the temp a wee bit. ...

I think you're onto something there, Red.
I've had a quick glance back at my solar radiation readings and think I can make up a couple of graphs that show the correlation.

 

[addy1]

Addy, does your Davis weather station have solar radiation and UV?
If so, what are the readings?

I just upgraded my davis, added the solar and uv, so no clue on what readings I will be getting.
Todays readings, almost no sun, raining since noon, just a light rain.

Solar Radiation 0 W/m2 473 W/m2 11:39 AM
UV Radiation 0.0 Index 3.3 Index 11:38 AM

on 3/6 we hit 1121 watts/m2 uv 5.4

The rest of the week, way lower

 

[MitchM]

My pond is still 100% iced over but both the 2 foot and 5 foot temperature probes are reading 39f/3.9c.
The ice is still thick enough to walk on, maybe I'll drill it for thickness today.

 

[Lisak1]

@MitchM - looking to get ready to monitor pond temp readings next winter. What is your set up and how does it work exactly? I'm getting from your posts that you have probes installed at different levels - how exactly are those installed? (Sorry if this is covered in another part of this thread!)

 

[MitchM]

Lisak1, I'm using a Davis Weather Station with 2 soil temperature probes. One probe is sitting on the 5 foot bottom and the other is held in place with a rock at the 2 foot level.
I tried other thermometers with cords but they could not stand up to our winters.

The Davis unit has a remote solar powered device that mounts on a pole and you can connect different sensors to it.
The Davis temperature sensors are accurate to +/- 0.5c
Addy1 is also using a Davis weather station

Here is a link to their weather station. http://www.davisnet.com/weather/products/index.asp

 

[Lisak1]

Thanks! Checking it out now!

 

[MitchM]

.....
The ice is still thick enough to walk on, maybe I'll drill it for thickness today.

9 inches thick still. It will be a while yet until I have open water.

 

[j.w]

Yikes it might be July before you see open water Mitch. Maybe time for some human intervention perhaps? Turn a warm water hose on it to hurry things up

 

[MitchM]

It's about 100 feet to the nearest hot water tap and it's still freezing outside. Wouldn't be very hot water at that point. Plus being on a well...
I'll think I'll let mother nature do her thing melting it - cheaper that way.

 

[j.w]

Oh heck just build a nice campfire on top and sit there and roast some hot dogs while you wait

 

[addy1]

9 inches thick still. It will be a while yet until I have open water.

I am melted I am melted! , well my pond is melted. My pond bounced up to 42 from 38, a nice 55 today, sun came out, snow from yesterday quickly melting. Even saw a school of fish down in the deepest part of the pond.

I turned on my aerator in the shallow end, it helped speed it up, I think..........

 

[j.w]

Great news addy!

 

[RobAmy]

I am melted I am melted

Wow, that was fast. Great news

 

[addy1]

pond a toasty 42 now!