Sky pond

Himmelsteich in the Wernloch

A celestial pond or celestial pond is a still body of water that is not fed by any superficial influx and draws water exclusively from precipitation, i.e. is filled from the sky , as well as from groundwater. Apart from groundwater-fed ponds, they are only found in areas where annual rainfall is greater than evaporation.

description

Heavenly ponds are mostly created through the mining of mineral resources, for example after blasting, in surface quarries , abandoned sand pits or when cutting peat . Occasionally they are also leftovers from the Ice Age between terminal moraines or actually impact craters from meteorites. Heavenly ponds are used, for example, to feed snow cannons , as extinguishing ponds or as drinking troughs for alpine cattle .

The main characteristic is that the natural entry through precipitation into the water body permanently compensates for the losses through evaporation or seepage . Heavily excess celestial ponds, especially those that reach depths below the groundwater level, can also have one or more temporary or year-round runoffs, but without being considered a source pot .

Himmelsteich in the NSG Schwalenberger Wald

Without artificial aids, a sky pond usually cannot be completely emptied or, in contrast to a large puddle , can even fall dry.

Flora and fauna

In undisturbed celestial ponds, a species-rich fauna and flora that is adapted to an anaerobic way of life often develops quickly in the mostly oxygen-poor water . After an initial algae settle as pioneer plants often initially duckweed and waterweed on. This is followed by rushes and water lilies , which prefer undisturbed waters. A natural abundance of fish can also originate , for example, from fish spawning in the plumage of water birds or from dropped prey and form stable populations. In addition, there are domestic animals abandoned in some places , for example goldfish or koi as neozoons .

See also

Also crater lakes can resemble the sky ponds hydrologically, but are natural origin, such as by volcanic activity , meteorite impacts or the collapse of sinkholes .

• Pond management , fish farming , biotope
• Johad (traditional rainwater collection ponds in India)
• Dew ponds , artificial ponds built with a special construction method, which are mainly fed by the capture of dew (and other precipitation) and survive in places with high humidity .

Web links

Commons : Himmelsteiche  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Heavenly ponds , definition on page 15 of the Thuringian Technical Instructions for Dams (ThürTA-Stau: 2005-06)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Himmelsteich, definition
2. ↑ Himmelsteich, name
3. ↑ Himmelsteich in Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon , 6th edition 1905–1909
4. ↑ Himmelsteiche, definition on page 15 of the Thuringian Technical Instructions for Dams (ThürTA-Stau: 2005-06)