help me understand pond microclimates

Hello,

I am trying to think through a pond microclimate.

It reflects light, so an area to the north would be warmer and brighter.

It is a heat sink/ thermal mass. So beds around it, and especially connected to it (wicking beds, chinampas) would be cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter.

Is that correct?

I am thinking about my gravel storage pond idea. https://permies.com/t/39653/ponds/gravel-filled-pond-bad-idea

If I embedded small wicking beds, build into bathtubs or bins, into this gravel, what would the climate effects be? Would it be a good place for a cold frame? Or would the cold frame freeze worse at night and over heat during the day.

"It reflects light, so an area to the north would be warmer and brighter.

It is a heat sink/ thermal mass. So beds around it, and especially connected to it (wicking beds, chinampas) would be cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter.

Is that correct?"


This all seems to be true at my place. Here is one of the ponds in front of my house below. In the Winter the sun is at a perfect angle to be reflected directly into the house and the glassed in porch.
There are all kinds of marginal plants around the pond that are helped by the microclimate. (banana plants, palms, gardenias,etc. )
In the summer it is noticeably cooler right around the ponds, which are mostly shaded in mid day.