Thermocline formation is the development of a distinct layer within a lake or ocean where temperature drops sharply with depth, separating a wind-mixed, sun-warmed surface layer above from cold, largely undisturbed deep water below. In the open ocean a permanent thermocline persists year-round below the mixed layer, while in temperate lakes a seasonal thermocline forms each summer as surface heating outpaces wind mixing and then breaks down again each autumn as the surface cools and the water column overturns. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
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Timescale (category) Timescale (category) Timescale (category) Process Type TimescaleA seasonal thermocline develops and breaks down over weeks to months each year; the permanent oceanic thermocline persists year-round. 1 Sources
1. Thermocline Formation (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead section
A thermocline (also known as the thermal layer or the metalimnion in lakes) is a distinct layer based on temperature within a large body of fluid (e.g. water, as in an ocean or lake; or air, e.g. an atmosphere) with a high gradient of distinct temperature differences associated with depth.
- In Category: Physical Processes
- Part Of: Ocean Circulation and Currents
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