Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Selecting a site Quarry Contest 2010

OK, you guys win!!!!

I'll tell you what I was really getting at, and to be sure it isn't specific to the quarry.

In Nebraska, a runoff event will bring silt into more stagnant systems (like earthen ponds), and as the silt settles, the single celled algae are the first to be able to ramp up photosynthesis because the sunlight penetrates sequentially deeper and deeper. For example; It rains three inches and the water becomes completely turbid. Virtually no sunlight penetration for 48 hours. Then the following 48 hours you have sunlight penetration of 6-18 inches. Then the 48 hours after that you have sunlight penetration of 18-24 inches, etc. etc. This sequential increase in sunlight penetration benefits organisms that can utilize the upper tier of the water column.

Therefore, in places like Nebraska where clay particles like to stay in suspension for extended periods of time, you have a marked increase in the ratio of non-rooted (single celled algae) to rooted (sago) plants.

So generally speaking, rainy springs tend to yield ponds with more filamentous and single celled algae during the summer and early fall, while dry springs tend to yield ponds with more submergent vegetation.

Make sense?

This equation however has little or no validity in watershed with heavy particulate runoff like sand, because it settles so quickly that there is not an extended advantage to plants that utilize the upper water column.

Makes perfect sense, and I see where things all tie together. Nice. I think you deserve all the points on this one for putting up with our rampant speculation!!!

In its simplest form I agree with this by Bruce :

"In Nebraska, a runoff event will bring silt into more stagnant systems (like earthen ponds), and as the silt settles, the single celled algae are the first to be able to ramp up photosynthesis because the sunlight penetrates sequentially deeper and deeper."

Gravity at work absent some other energy source. An object in motion (toward the center of the earth by gravity) will continue in motion until confronted by a greater force. Thus the top settles out first absent some other factor. BTW clear water deep makes no difference if the sago is cut off from the sun (visible spectrum) by turbid water in the shallowest depth.

bingo!

now who's the bean counter?

another factor w/ clay size particles is ionic attraction. silt and sand settle, but gravity may have little to no affect on the clay depending on the water chemistry.

that is cool to think about....way to condense this. i seen it wit me own two eyes in my pond.

DIED said "another factor w/ clay size particles is ionic attraction. silt and sand settle, but gravity may have little to no affect on the clay depending on the water chemistry. "

True but ionic attraction is a countering force as noted above and is thus accounted for in my comment. Plus % wise only a small amount of ponds (I would guess less than 15%)have long term clay turbidity. Bruce's sure doesn’t sound like one of them with all that limestone.

DIED, I'm still gonna have to go with JHAP as our resident bean counter! I mean, he did make a big admission and all with that whole B&M employment comment and who am I to ignore it?

Very interesting point about the clay being charged. In reading the various threads here about people not being able to get clay to settle in their ponds, I've always kind of wondered why. Is it strictly/largely related to the charge of clay at the atomic level? Do other soils not have a charge of some sort, too, or is it just that clay is somewhat unique in how it is charged such that it reacts with the water?

Am I correct in saying that ionically charged or "colloidal clay" are negatively charge clay particles that repel each other to a point that the repulsion exceeds the gravitation effects for extended periods of time?

i was recalling that colloidal clay would be positively charged and remain in suspension by attraction to ionic compounds in the water (rather than by repulsion) but my water chemistry days were a LONG time ago, so take it w/ a grain of NaCL

agreed

i need a nap now.

Here's a thought. Given the example above, after 48 hrs, does the 18-30 inch water colum have the same turbidity as the 6-18 water column? You're saying that the sunlight penetrates 6"-18". How do you know it wouldn't penetrate the same distance if the water between 18-30 inches were to be brought closer to the surface and had the same amount of sunlight available to it?

Esshup,

I will give you a real numbers tomorrow. I have sampling to do and can get water samples from different depths and test the turbidity of each.

Now THAT will be interesting!! Thanks Chris.

I seem to remember that the positively and negatively charged particles repel and bounce off each other to thus stay suspended. I think one is called an ion and the other a cacon.

But, that study is going back a ways and I may have things backwards. Or dead wrong.

That makes more sense than my initial answer.

Super-Cool!!! Youngblood will get some bonus points!!

so i had this dream last night, i was trapped/hiding in some woods somewhere, it was dark, and all around me was the chanting "a circle of light, a circle of light, a circle of light".....there was wizards, and little gremlin like dudes....

when i woke up i asked myself, what does it mean?

then i remembered this post:



please give eric all the points so i can get a good night sleep.

I have dreams like that after I eat tocos.

This thread was viewed 150 times since I went to bed last night. If my guess is correct, 125 of those were DIED while he was dreaming.

I had a dream we were all trying to climb out of a rock quarry with loose limestone on steep sides. No one could get out and the water was rising fast. So I am giving all my points plus any DIED tried to give me back to DIED so we can complete the circle of light. --

Sleep surfing!

Finally, I have been promoted to a Wizard!!!



















Wait a minute, I was a wizard and not a "little gremlin like dude" wasn't I?

DIED?

DIED?

Wizards never wonder. Does that answer your question?

-- -- -- ROFLOL