A friend and I were driving through the Southern tier of Western New
York the other evening a little before sunset.

Dave noticed that there were odd patches and streaks of calm, bright
water on the surface of two ponds that we passed.

The calm, bright kind of surface also seemed to be near the shore of
the pond at one end at least (I didn't get out of the car and take a
good look all around the pond).

We argued about what might cause the effect. Unfortunately, we didn't
take any pictures to help with the argument.

My theory is that there could be any number of sources of oil (from
the road; from decaying vegetation in or near the pond; from geese
swimming in the pond). From our vantage point, we didn't see
irridescence and many of the odd patches were long streaks or bands
rather than circular.

I've googled around and haven't been able to come up with a search
term that would tell me whether others have noticed and explained this
little oddity.

I did see that aquariums can develop natural "oil slicks" and I wonder
whether you ponders have seen anything like that yourselves.

Marty

mxm wrote:

A friend and I were driving through the Southern tier of Western New
York the other evening a little before sunset.

Dave noticed that there were odd patches and streaks of calm, bright
water on the surface of two ponds that we passed.

The calm, bright kind of surface also seemed to be near the shore of
the pond at one end at least (I didn't get out of the car and take a
good look all around the pond).

We argued about what might cause the effect. Unfortunately, we didn't
take any pictures to help with the argument.

My theory is that there could be any number of sources of oil (from
the road; from decaying vegetation in or near the pond; from geese
swimming in the pond). From our vantage point, we didn't see
irridescence and many of the odd patches were long streaks or bands
rather than circular.

That certainly could be a reason, but more likely it's just localized wind
effects.

Of course, it could be ice... I don't know what Western NY is like right
now, or how high you'd have been, but for sure it can't be _too_ long since
the ice was off their ponds. If they had thick ice, and it was protected
from wind break-up, there might be a large (thin) ice floe that's just
drifted against the shore. It's a month or more since I had that here,
but then we're very exposed to onshore winds and breakup was very early
(and fast) this year.
--
derek

On May 5, 5:20 pm, Derek Broughton wrote:

Dave noticed that there were odd patches and streaks of calm, bright
water on the surface of two ponds that we passed.

The calm, bright kind of surface also seemed to be near the shore of
the pond at one end at least (I didn't get out of the car and take a
good look all around the pond).

We argued about what might cause the effect. Unfortunately, we didn't

take any pictures to help with the argument.

My theory is that there could be any number of sources of oil ...

That certainly could be a reason, but more likely it's just localized wind

effects.

OK. Hadn't thought about odd wind currents that might ripple
some parts of the pond and not others. ...

Of course, it could be ice... I don't know what Western NY is like righ
t
now, or how high you'd have been, but for sure it can't be _too_ long sinc
e
the ice was off their ponds.

~400 feet above sea level or thereabouts.

The ice is all melted. We've had several weeks above
freezing and the ponds aren't too big or too deep.

We even had a week in the 70s and 80s. Felt like
summer!

Marty

mxm wrote:

On May 5, 5:20 pm, Derek Broughton wrote:

Of course, it could be ice... I don't know what Western NY is like right
now, or how high you'd have been, but for sure it can't be _too_ long
since the ice was off their ponds.

~400 feet above sea level or thereabouts.

The ice is all melted. We've had several weeks above
freezing and the ponds aren't too big or too deep.

Then I'd definitely think just wind. Our lagoon can be mirror quiet in one
area while the wind's causing ripples feet away. In really light breezes
that's normal.
--
derek