Too hot or too cold?

[Shdwdrgn]

I keep reading these reports that we are still on track for 2012 being the hotest year on record, but my pond seems to disagree. This week has been the first time I have ever seen my pond freeze over without a snow storm driving the freeze. In the past, I have never even needed to consider throwing in a heater until we got a week of high temperatures below 10F, yet here we are with daily temps in the 40's and nightly temps around 20, and my pond has had at least some ice covering it all week.

Despite the temperatures, it appears to me that the ground temperature has been much colder this Fall. Unfortunately I can't seem to find any data online comparing average ground temperatures in my area, so I have no real facts to back up my theory.

Typically my fish has always continued to feed through about mid-January... seemingly very late in the season when compared to others on this forum. However this year my fish have been staying near the bottom since the end of October -- yet another sign that the ground temp (and thus the water temp) is much colder this year.

I just wonder if anyone else has been experiencing this as well? If this trend continues, it may be the first year I actually have to shut down my pumps for the Winter...

 

[sissy]

have you tried maybe googling ground temps for Colorado .I really don't see how they could get those temps and be accurate for every area .Maybe you need to find a ground thermometer and start a trend .I wonder if there is such a thing . :question:

 

[sissy]

guess what there is I just found it for VA. It says for right now here it is between 56 and and 62 degrees

 

[sissy]

It gives depth of heat and for dry and wet soil .It shows in feet and from the beginning of the year until now .

 

[Shdwdrgn]

So I've been doing some reading tonight, and it appears that frost penetration is a function of both temperature and moisture... This makes a lot of sense because we have had less than 1.2 inches of precipitation since the beginning of October. The ground is extremely dry, which causes the frost line to go deeper, and I assume this means the ground is holding more of the cold? So even though our air temperatures are fairly average, the dry air also makes it feel colder.

The only lead I can find on ground temps is it seems to commonly be called "soil temperature"... but even that appears to not be closely recorded. I also tried searching for frost depth, but again could not find any decent monthly/yearly information. Ah well, time to go water the lawn and break up the local frost line.

 

[addy1]

We have gotten some good rain recently, so I guess our frost line will stay high, I guess lol

 

[Mmathis]

guess what there is I just found it for VA. It says for right now here it is between 56 and and 62 degrees

Sissy, what is the source you found?

I'm more curious for my box turtles than for the fish, since the boxies actually do dig into the earth when they brumate for the winter. And like fish, cold is OK, but you don't them to freeze. It's been unusually warm here [with a few cold days and nights] and one of my turtles was out a week or so ago [not a good thing, because they are more vulnerable at this time of year]. I have an internet buddy who is a turtle fanatic. She lives in PA. She was telling me about a "gun" that her BF has that can "shoot into anything" and read the temp. We were discussing data regarding the temps. at various depths and how they tend to stabilize so far down; as well as the effects of ice and snow as an insulator.

 

[sissy]

I just google ground temps in virginia .I will have to look but was through the VA farm sight and guessing it is mostly used by farmers .I guess they use it to know when to plant and also it seams to have an extra that said it was for geo thermal heating systems .

 

[sissy]

actually if you google that there is a pic of several ground temp maps of the U.S.There are 8 pics ,says ground temp maps

 

[sissy]

even one shows Canada.gosh it even shows average water temps .

 

[HARO]

EVEN CANADA??????
John

 

[taherrmann4]

I keep reading these reports that we are still on track for 2012 being the hotest year on record, but my pond seems to disagree. This week has been the first time I have ever seen my pond freeze over without a snow storm driving the freeze. In the past, I have never even needed to consider throwing in a heater until we got a week of high temperatures below 10F, yet here we are with daily temps in the 40's and nightly temps around 20, and my pond has had at least some ice covering it all week.

Despite the temperatures, it appears to me that the ground temperature has been much colder this Fall. Unfortunately I can't seem to find any data online comparing average ground temperatures in my area, so I have no real facts to back up my theory.

Typically my fish has always continued to feed through about mid-January... seemingly very late in the season when compared to others on this forum. However this year my fish have been staying near the bottom since the end of October -- yet another sign that the ground temp (and thus the water temp) is much colder this year.

I just wonder if anyone else has been experiencing this as well? If this trend continues, it may be the first year I actually have to shut down my pumps for the Winter...

My pond temps have actually been warmer than the last couple of years. I still have my pump running where I normally shut it off around the end of november. It is going to get cold this weekend so we will see if I have any ice daming in the creeks or bog. Little worried about this....

 

[addy1]

I turned mine off, we are gone for 3.5 weeks and the bogs surface area really kept the water temperature down. Just didn't want to worry about it icing up. So far it sure wouldn't with the temps we have been having.