Linda, Didn't the Lake actually freeze from shore to shore @ Aurora in '78-'79 when Sissy Farenthold declared it so & cancelled Wells classes?
And Ms Mobley, A short answer to why Seneca & Cayuga don't freeze easily is that they are examples of the "surface area to volume" problem. Although their absolute depth isn't as great as the Great Lakes, their shape means their surface area is small compared to their depth and volume. Since heat is lost thru the surface, they don't cool as fast as lakes w/ larger relative surfaces areas. In addition, they both lie in a general NW-SE orientation, with a long "fetch" to the prevailing NW winds, which keep the water stirred up. When they do freeze, it's most likely after a series of very clear, very calm nights, when cold water (<4 C) can accumulate and freeze on the surface. Once there's enough ice to resist break-up when winds resume, the lake will remain frozen with ice and 0 C water at the top and 4 C water all the way to the bottom. Physical limnology is very "cool"! Tom Vawter Sent from my iPhone -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
