@grumpyfish How do you know all this stuff? You are able to ramble facts like it was a daily common, habit. :)
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The difference? That depends on the local definition. Size really is a poor indicator. But, this website offers a “test” you can use to determine of the suspect water body is a lake or pond.
However, as a rule of thumb, the a more solid difference between the two is temperature. Ponds generally have roughly the same temperature throughout the water because of smaller area and shallower depth. Lakes, on the other hand, are deeper and cover more land. Therefore, the temperature of a lake will be more varied in different sections. The variance of temperature designates a body of water a lake.
A few other “indicators”: Ponds are capable of diverse plantlike within themselves. Rooted plants can grow on the bottom – often anywhere on the bottom. The area around a pond affects it, but a lake affects the area around it. Ponds freeze. Lakes (because of size) often don’t. If photosynthesis (light and plant growth) can only occur near the surface of the water, than that is a sign of a lake. Finally, lakes are usually natural. Ponds are usually man-made.
Credits:
-Smart QnA question
-Infoplease.com article.
-“Aquatic Biodiversity:“http://www.epa.gov/bioiweb1/aquatic/lake-r.html.