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Name:  Robert I.
Status:  other
Age:  30s
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: 2000-2001
Question:
I am working on a science project with my second grade daughter and am having a hard time finding research information on our topic. Her question: Do the fish freeze when a lake "freezes" over? Hypothesis: No. The fish do not freeze when a lake freezes. Method: Fill a bowl of water and partially freeze it and see if the rubber fish inside the bowl freeze.

I have been serching the web for related material on how water freezes, lake ecosystems, frozen pond ecosystems and can't find any relevent information. Where can I find reference material on this subject? Thank you for your help

Replies:
Normally we do not answer science fair questions.

The bottom of the lake or pond is at 4 C and is denser than ice. Ponds, lakes, and bodies of water in general freeze from the top down. The fish at the bottom, while highly inactive at 4 C, are alive and well.

Consult Paul Hewitt's Conceptual Physics book. He describes the freezing of a pond in great detail.

Unknown


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