The surface of a lake is frozen in severe winter, but the water at its bottom is still liquid. What is the reason?

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CollectorBabu · Accepted Answer

Correct Answer: Ice is a bad conductor of heat. During winters in cold countries, the outside temperature is very low which drops below freezing point where upper layers of water in lakes start cooling. When temperature of surface layers falls to 4 °C, the water body gets maximum density and sinks which displaces water below with lower water to start rising up which gets cooled to 4 °C and sinks down again. Further we see that ice which forms in cold weather acts as an insulating barrier which prevents water underneath from getting colder . So Frozen lake surface acts as insulator which prevents heat from water from escaping and keeps heats of water trapped.

The surface of a lake is frozen in severe winter, but the water at its bottom is still liquid. What is the reason?

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