What is thermal stratification in a lake?

It occurs when the surface layer of water, warmed by the sun, becomes less dense than the water underneath it. The significance of thermal stratification to anglers is that the lower layer of water, deprived of surface contact, slowly loses its dissolved oxygen and become less able to support aquatic life.

Does temperature stratification take place in lakes?

The most extreme thermal stratification occurs within lakes during the warm summer months. During fall turnover, the epilimnion cools, sinks and falls below the thermocline, resulting in mixing. Thermal stratification of a lake depends on the lake’s depth, shape and size.

Is Lake stratification bad?

The disruption of lake stratification to lake ecosystems could be incredibly damaging. “Stratification periods” are a seasonal separation of water into layers.

What is the significance of the stratification of the lake?

Stratification has important implications for fisheries management, phytoplankton (algae) populations, and water supply quality. A discussion of a few stratification impacts follows. Just after summer stratification is established, the hypolimnion is rich in dissolved oxygen from the early spring mixing of the lake.

What causes the thermal stratification of a lake?

The thermal stratification of lakes refers to a change in the temperature at different depths in the lake, and is due to the change in water’s density with temperature. Cold water is denser than warm water and the epilimnion generally consists of water that is not as dense as the water in the hypolimnion.

What are the two layers of thermal stratification?

Thermal stratification is the phenomenon in which lakes develop two discrete layers of water of different temperatures: warm on top ( epilimnion) and cold below ( hypolimnion ). These layers are each relatively uniform in temperature but are separated by a region of rapid temperature change (the metalimnion or thermocline ).

Why is there no thermal stratification in Lake Erie?

Some small, shallow lakes may not experience seasonal thermal stratification because the wind mixes the entire lake. Other lakes, such as Lake Erie, have a combination of geographic location and water depth that regularly produces thermal stratification.

How are the scales used in lake stratification?

The Hypolimnion The scales are used to associate each section of the stratification to their corresponding depths and temperatures. The arrow is used to show the movement of wind over the surface of the water which initiates the turnover in the epilimnion and the hypolimnion.