Bubbles suspended in time in ice

Originally posted by Psychoparrot

To isyeye and anyone else who suggested methane - guess I could scratch'n sniff! Wouldn't it burn if it was pure oxygen or methane. As one of the ponds hasn't got enough material yet to produce that amount of methane from decomposition, plus the cold - don't think it could be methane.

ignant - the plants are mainly oxygenators - canadian pondweed, hornwort plus bogbean, mint, watercress, iris,waterlilly and rushes. I guess a decomposing alien might produce alot of gas!


Yes, beginning to make sense - plants started producing O2, then rapid temp. drop. The water would freeze on the surface first, trapping O2 bubbles from escaping. More and more O2 would get trapped causing a backup, with that bubble growing in size till limited by frozen water. It would be a while before the plants became frozen or O2 production inhibited so a fresh bubble would build up, until it too, was limited as the layer of ice rapidly travelled downwards. This would explain the apparant layers. As it does not often go from being so mild to so cold in such a short time, O2 bubbles rarely get trapped like this.

Makes sense to me.

While I was at school and uni I worked for a small company that actually installed ponds and water features. Most water plants release oxygen in a way that is readily absorbed by the water, whereas rotting vegetable matter just releases it. Also more water can dissolve oxygen almost twice as readily as methane. Cold water especially dissolves much more oxygen than warmer water and plants also take back a small component of that oxygen especially at night. Rotting of vegetable matter does dramatically slow during the colder months but it doesn't stop altogether unless your pond gets frozen through and therefore still produces gases

We used to suggest using oxygenating plants as a way to actually stop bubbles in ponds as the plants can filter out a lot of the nutrients which would normally just rot and more oxygen in the water kills the anerobic bacteria which can often make a pond quite stinky, though like I said above garden ponds always have some rotting matter in them which produce some amount of gas.

In short the bubbles are more than likely methane with a minor CO2 component. If it stinks a little then there will also be ammonium sulphide component (rotten egg gas) as well and quite possibly a little oxygen also. If these gases are totally trapped in the ice then they should be fine but if they're still in contact with the liquid water itself I would suggest making a smal hole and releasing them as eventually this methane can be absorbed by the water also (though not as readily as oxygen) which can in turn can make it toxic. Yes you should be able to light them up - do it at night with a lighter handy.

Nice picture... What's the red line/matter in the upper left?

Originally posted by Psychoparrot
files.abovetopsecret.com...

1littlewolf OK will pop down later and give it a try - certainly don't want the water going toxic.

I have taken care of the ponds, removing autumn leaves and cutting back dead vegatation such has parts of the water lily, leaves and flowers once past their best. The older pond did not even get any filamentous algae last year, the water keeping beautifully clear. As I mentioned earlier, the newer pond was teeming with daphnia in later autumn - could have harvested them for fish food. Unless the situation is desperate I only top them up with collected rain water and both ponds were 'seeded' with a bucketful of pond water and mud from a clean untainted pond that I know. Watercress is happily growing in both - and I would be happy to eat it. Also lots of watersnails. There is no pump involved, just me attempting to keep the water good by maintaining the status quo and limiting amount of nitrates.

I was a bit concerned that most of the tadpoles vanished quickly and I saw very few baby frogs last year, which I put down to the adult newt population.

Will report back re bubble smells!

reply to post by Psychoparrot


youve seen creature from the black lagoon right?
just dont go near the pond in a rather UNrevealing white swimsuit or youve had it.

reply to post by Psychoparrot


If you're keeping your pond in reasonable condition then chances are the bubbles won't smell, as methane and CO2 don't have an odor.

It's very cool you've let your ponds go natural - the native wildlife that eventually settles in them is awesome to watch. I've got a pond at home full of frogs (literally hundreds of easternsedge frogs) and at night it also draws all sorts of other amazing critters out as well. Once got a noise complaint from the neighbours due to the frogs croaking so loud during the summer.

Originally posted by Iamonlyhuman
Nice picture... What's the red line/matter in the upper left?

Originally posted by Psychoparrot
files.abovetopsecret.com...

Just a twig lying on the ice - think it's from a fancy rowan tree.

Right - been down to ponds and poked bubbles, no smell, no indication of wanting to burn. Bubble concentration definately greater above weeded areas, fairly sure its the plants continuing to do there thing.

Both ponds are a metre deep in parts but no sign of monsters, however will not venture down there in any form of swimming gear for forseable future!

reply to post by Psychoparrot


THAT is just so cool! what a marvelous world we live in, these pictures need to be up for an award. Excellent.

reply to post by Psychoparrot


So that I am neither misinterpreting the photograph nor your commentary, both the surface of the water and the bubble formations from at/near the surface of the water to their respective points of origin (i.e. the bottom of the pond) are frozen as well?

reply to post by Kovenov


Yes - the whole lot suspended there - apparantly motionless. The deepest parts of both ponds go down a metre so shouldn't be frozen that far down, but the ice seems pretty thick.