25 June 2014 Engineering Challenge: Prevent a Lake from Freezing

Engineering Challenge: Stop an Arctic Lake From Freezing

Many lakes are on the Arctic tundra. Because of permafrost under the soil, melted snow cannot be deeply absorbed into the ground. The result is a wet landscape. Ponds and lakes form where land was carved out by a glacier or erosion.

Scientists study many of these lakes, documenting physical, chemical, and biological features. One study would like to see what happens to a lake's features if it stays unfrozen all winter, even if the everything else around is frozen. That's the engineering challenge: How can a lake be kept from freezing during an Arctic winter?

-The lake is in a remote area. People won't be at the site to trouble-shoot a device or to turn a device off and on.

-No power source. There is no place to plug in a motor. In winter, the sun does not shine on some days (so solar energy would not be reliable).

-Extreme cold. The area regularly gets below zero temperatures for days on end.

-Wind.

A bubbler to keep water circulating may prevent freezing. Also, heating the top of the water, then mixing the heated water into the rest of the lake could prevent freezing. The limit goes back to the power source.

What are your ideas? Please add these in the comment section below.