I’m wondering why that lake in a alpine region (elevation 3500 ft) is not frozen over when temperatures are way below freezing point?
What are the conditions for a lake to freeze?
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Water needs an incredible amount of energy exchange to freeze - it cools and heats much slower than the air or ground. Meanwhile, if it gets cold enough for the top layer to start freezing, it can continue to upwell warmer water from below (especially if it’s mixed by winds). It’s also affected by the over volume of water, shape of the surface, etc. Basically, you need sub-freezing temps for quite a while, calm winds, and a relatively small volume of water.
This is why Lake Tahoe never freezes, despite being at 6200’ elevation in a relatively cold area during the winter. Super deep, and not cold enough, long enough.
That said, I’m not sure what the criteria are to freeze lakes in the sim - that could be completely separated from reality.
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From reading the threads about seasonal foliage and snow coverage, it sounds as if MS-Asobo uses a general regional approach to these things. For example, see: https://forums.flightsimulator.com/t/seasons-2024-enhanced-by-bijan-released
It also sounds as if they need to break down their regions in to more granular sub-regions …and possibly even define objects like lakes, rivers, roads, railway tracks, etc. and use meta data to permit the application (and auditing) of seasonal and other characteristics.
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Yeah, one of my biggest complaints about weather/climate in the sim is frozen salt water… that never freezes. Southeast Alaska is one of my favorite places to fly, and I encounter frozen inlets and fjords in the sim all the time. Or go further west to Prince William Sound in the Fall/Winter/Spring months – lots of areas frozen over. I know it’s nit-picky but it’s a real bummer for me.
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