Knowra Stratification Stratification Stratification is the layering of water masses with different densities, often caused by differences in temperature or salinity. It limits vertical mixing between layers.
Water density : The mass of water per unit volume, affected by temperature, salinity, and pressure. Differences in water density are the direct basis for stratified layers.
Temperature : A physical quantity that measures the thermal state of matter. Cooling or warming changes water density and can strengthen or weaken layering.
Lake stratification : The seasonal or persistent layering of lake water by density. It is a familiar case where heating and cooling organize water into distinct layers.
Lake turnover : The seasonal mixing of lake water after density differences between surface and deep water diminish. Turnover reverses or erases seasonal layering, exchanging oxygen and nutrients between depths.
Vertical mixing : The movement and exchange of water between different depths. Stratification suppresses vertical mixing, while storms and cooling can restore it.
Thermocline : A water layer where temperature changes rapidly with depth. In many lakes and oceans, this sharp temperature gradient helps separate upper and lower layers.
Salinity : The concentration of dissolved salts in water. Saltier water is generally denser, creating layers independent of temperature.
Ocean stratification : The vertical layering of ocean water by density, commonly shaped by temperature and salinity. It governs how ocean heat, carbon, oxygen, and nutrients move between depths.
Dimictic lake : A lake that mixes from top to bottom twice each year, usually in spring and autumn. Its annual cycle clearly links temperature-driven stratification with periods of full mixing.
Ocean heat content : The thermal energy stored in ocean water relative to a reference temperature. Stratification affects how heat is distributed and stored below the surface.
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