pond v. lake

Crater Lake, Oregon Because natural phenomena are continuously variable, they aren’t easily compartmentalized. Such is the difficulty in distinguishing between ponds and lakes. While virtually all limnologists agree that a pond is a natural or man-made body of standing water smaller than a lake, and a lake is an inland body of water larger and deeper than a pond, this convention lacks scientific rigor. Here are some proposed technical definitions for pond, none of which are universally accepted. In all cases, lakes would have the converse characteristic:

• A body of water no larger than 5 (or 2, or 8) hectares
• A body of water where light penetrates to the bottom
• A body of water shallow enough to support rooted plants throughout
• A body of water without wave action on the shoreline, allowing plants to grow along the shore
• A body of water that is too shallow to develop layers of water stratified by temperature
• A body of water small enough to freeze solid for part of the year

Infoplease on pond v. lake