As the graph above exhibits, variation in water temperature follows patterns of seasonal change. The sampling sites are uniformly warmer in the spring and summer and colder in the fall and winter. Temperature between sites varies during the same time periods, too, though. While, as the graph shows, most of the streams froze during the last week of December, Kohler Road Pond (pictured below) and Nequasset Park remained unfrozen throughout the winter because of their large size. All the sites (except for the two just mentioned and Wright Lane for a couple of weeks) remained at 0.1ºC until late March. Meadow Road (pictured below) warmed up the fastest (from 0ºC on 3/28 to 3.9ºC on 4/4) possibly due to its shallow depth and great exposure to sun. In the spring, as well as the fall, Wright Lane was the coldest due to its relatively high shade cover and lack of warm-water storing wetlands while, in contrast, Old Stage Road, Kohler Road Pond, and Nequasset Park were warmer because their water is slow-moving and thus has greater exposure to sun and higher air temperatures.