Lake stratification

[1][2] Rising air temperatures have the same effect on lake bodies as a physical shift in geographic location, with tropical zones being particularly sensitive.

The interaction between the atmosphere and lakes depends on how solar radiation is distributed, which is why water turbulence, mainly caused by wind stress, can greatly increase the efficiency of heat transfer.

[7] In shallow lakes, stratification into epilimnion, metalimnion, and hypolimnion often does not occur, as wind or cooling causes regular mixing throughout the year.

[14] Recent research suggests that seasonally ice-covered dimictic lakes may be described as "cryostratified" or "cryomictic" according to their wintertime stratification regimes.

[16] Circulation processes during mixing periods cause the movement of oxygen and other dissolved nutrients, distributing them throughout the body of water.

In temperate latitudes, many lakes that become stratified during the summer months de-stratify during cooler windier weather with surface mixing by wind being a significant driver in this process.

[19] In fact, natural resource and environmental managers are often challenged by problems caused by lake and pond thermal stratification.

[22] One commonly used tool to reduce the severity of these lake management problems is to eliminate or lessen thermal stratification through water aeration.

Urban expansion has led to the construction of roads and houses close to previously isolated lakes, sometimes causing increased runoff and pollution.

[4] Further, the saline layer can prevent dissolved oxygen from reaching the bottom sediments, decreasing phosphorus recycling and affecting microbial communities.

Rising air temperatures have the same effect on lake bodies as a physical shift in geographic location, with tropical zones being particularly sensitive.

[24][25][26] Fluctuations in stratification consistency can accelerate deoxygenation of lakes, nutrient mineralization, and phosphorus release, having significant consequences for phytoplankton species.

[27] Combined with typically warmer lake temperatures associated with stratification patterns brought on by climate change, variable prey populations from year-to-year can be detrimental to cold water fish species.

Lakes are stratified into three separate sections:
I. The Epilimnion
II. The Metalimnion
III. 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.
Typical mixing pattern for many lakes, caused by the fact that water is less dense at temperatures other than 4 °C or 39 °F (the temperature where water is most dense). Lake stratification is stable in summer and winter, becoming unstable in spring and fall when the surface waters cross the 4°C mark.