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Old 02-07-2023, 02:15 PM   #19
CaptT820
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Default Lakes Freezing

Everyone here is right to a certain degree. Does water freeze at 32 degrees F? The simple answer is yes ASSUMING standard temperature and pressure (STP) are the ambient conditions. Otherwise, it will freeze slightly below or above 32 degrees.

When adding wind or any other turbulent factor at STP then the required temperature to make water a solid, changes downward. Most carving ice is super clear in transparency, because it is actually made in a turbulent tank that agitates the water at ~-10F, and the water eventually becomes a very clear solid.

Under very specific conditions, water can be a liquid at -42F all the way up to 705F due to its hydrogen bonding characteristics. In the case we are talking about with the lake, if the wind speed was high enough (think Mt. Washington), then the lake could still freeze, but the temperature would have to be extremely low due to the total energy of the system involved.
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