What are the characteristics of a lake or pond?

Ponds and lakes are both inland bodies of freshwater that contain living creatures. At first glance, they seem very similar! To help determine the difference, both the depth and surface area must be considered. Lakes are normally much deeper than ponds and have a larger surface area.



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Lakes are normally much deeper than ponds and have a larger surface area. All the water in a pond is in the photic zone, meaning ponds are shallow enough to allow sunlight to reach the bottom. This causes plants (sometimes too many) to grow at the bottom of ponds as well as on their surface.

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A pond is a body of water smaller than a lake. Ponds support wide range of wildlife: ducks, turtles, swans, small fish, and frogs can live in a pond. Usually, in most ponds sunlight can reach to bottom. In some cases ponds do not last all year round.

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Along with water quality, it is important that the physical characteristics of a pond are appropriate for swimming. The depth of the pond can often determine if it is safe to swim. In addition, sunken trees and submerged rocks can be invisible from the surface of the water and can pose a danger to swimmers.

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Lakes are large bodies of water that are surrounded by land and are not part of an ocean. Lakes are relatively still bodies of water when compared to a river where the water flows. They can contain either salt or fresh water and are larger than ponds. For more on lake habitats see our page on the freshwater biome.

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Based upon their thermal stratification, lakes are classified as either holomictic, with a uniform temperature and density from top to bottom at a given time of year, or meromictic, with layers of water of different temperature and density that do not intermix.

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It may surprise you to know there is no technical difference between lakes and ponds, according to the National Park Service(Opens in a new window). However, a general rule of a thumb is if a body of water is large and deep it's a lake and if it's short and shallow it's a pond.

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Every Pond or lake has several different zones that divide the water column from top to bottom and side to side. These zones consist of the Littoral Zone, Limnetic Zone, Profundal Zone, Euphotic Zone, and Benthic Zone.

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