http://www.funtrivia.com/en/subtopics/Lakes-Ponds- - 09/13/10 03:12 AM
From the following website: http://www.funtrivia.com/en/subtopics/Lakes-Ponds-and-Streams-234883.html
What is the international definition of the difference between a pond and a lake?
Surface size and depth. In the U.S. a pond is defined as a body of water with a surface area of less than ten acres (40,000 square metres). By that definition, a puddle could be classed as a pond. On the other side of the 'Big Pond' (aka the Atlantic Ocean), in some parts of England, a pond is only called a pond if it is man-made. The international definition is that a pond is a body of water into the deepest areas of which sunlight can reach. Some ponds are made by human hands (when our ancestors first began domesticating animals like sheep and cows, for instance, they created dew ponds to provide water for the stock, and we've all admired those lovely Japanese style artificial ponds stocked with beautiful koi). Some ponds are ancient, left behind as the glaciers receded. These are known to geologists as 'kettle ponds'. Thoreau's famous Walden is a kettle pond. Most ponds, however, are the result of rain run-off, small springs or small streams, while lakes are usually fed by rivers, creeks and/or springs. As to the choice that suggested that lakes support life and ponds do not, that's just silly. Mosquito larvae can grow to maturity in ditches and bird baths, so it follows that any body of water (with the exception of the overly-saline waters like the Dead Sea) can support life of one form or another.
What is the international definition of the difference between a pond and a lake?
Surface size and depth. In the U.S. a pond is defined as a body of water with a surface area of less than ten acres (40,000 square metres). By that definition, a puddle could be classed as a pond. On the other side of the 'Big Pond' (aka the Atlantic Ocean), in some parts of England, a pond is only called a pond if it is man-made. The international definition is that a pond is a body of water into the deepest areas of which sunlight can reach. Some ponds are made by human hands (when our ancestors first began domesticating animals like sheep and cows, for instance, they created dew ponds to provide water for the stock, and we've all admired those lovely Japanese style artificial ponds stocked with beautiful koi). Some ponds are ancient, left behind as the glaciers receded. These are known to geologists as 'kettle ponds'. Thoreau's famous Walden is a kettle pond. Most ponds, however, are the result of rain run-off, small springs or small streams, while lakes are usually fed by rivers, creeks and/or springs. As to the choice that suggested that lakes support life and ponds do not, that's just silly. Mosquito larvae can grow to maturity in ditches and bird baths, so it follows that any body of water (with the exception of the overly-saline waters like the Dead Sea) can support life of one form or another.
