| Pond Ice Theory Holed |
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Pond Ice Theory Holed
Pond Conservation has published a report investigating winterkill, the deaths of amphibians and fish in frozen ponds. In the past it has been assumed that dead, bloated frog corpses of frogs appearing in ponds as they thawed after a winter freeze were due to overwintering amphibians suffocating under ice. To counter this, recommendations have been made to make holes in the ice to allow oxygen exchange. Results from Pond Conservation's survey and investigations suggest that making holes in the ice makes no difference to amphibian survival. Encouraging plant growth in ponds, however, may be a better remedy because photosynthetic activity releases oxygen into the water, even under ice. The report can be downloaded from Pond Conservation's website. |
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