For a ice-snow covered pond to get enough sunlight penetration to make DO,, around 20%-30% of the snow needs to be regularly removed. Snow removal of 10% may work for ponds with deeper depths. With sunny days that should allow enough DO production to keep trout alive assuming not a lot of organic decay occurs in the pond. I get concerned about loss of DO after 3-4 weeks of deep snow cover. This depends a lot on pond depth and biochemical oxygen demand.
The longer snow lies on the ice the lower the DO concentration becomes. DO loss begins at the bottom and slowly 'works its way' toward the surface.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 10/10/17 07:19 PM.
