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¿Qué tan transparente es el hielo de ese lago?

¿Qué tan transparente es el hielo de ese lago?
How transparent is the ice of that lake?
From Lesson 444:Interrogatives of degree (qué tan)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about ¿Qué tan transparente es el hielo de ese lago?

Why do we use qué tan instead of just cómo to say 'how transparent'?
In Latin American Spanish, qué tan followed by an adjective or adverb is the standard way to ask about the degree of something, like 'how transparent' or 'how heavy'. If you just used cómo, it would mean 'how' in the sense of 'in what way', which doesn't work directly with an adjective of degree.
Why is the verb es used instead of está? Isn't the state of the ice temporary?
We use ser (es) here because the speaker is asking about an inherent, defining characteristic of the ice from that specific lake. Even though ice can melt, its physical properties when it exists are considered a core trait. You would only use estar (está) if the lake's ice is usually cloudy but happens to look unusually clear right now.
Could I use cuánto to ask this question instead of qué tan?
Not directly with the adjective transparente. Cuánto means 'how much' and modifies nouns. To use it here, you would have to change the phrasing entirely to use a noun, such as asking ¿Cuánta transparencia tiene el hielo? (How much transparency does the ice have?).
Would speakers from Spain also say qué tan transparente?
Usually, no. While qué tan is standard and perfectly natural in Latin America, speakers in Spain typically use cómo de to express the exact same idea, asking ¿Cómo de transparente es el hielo?.

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