Lakes have layers
- Epilimnion. This is the upper, less dense layer of warmer water, that is readily mixed by wind. ...
- Metalimnion. Also called the thermocline, this is the middle layer characterized by a steady drop in water temperature, that prevents water mixing between the epilimnion and hypolimnion. ...
- Hypolimnion.
Limnology divides lakes into three zones: the littoral zone, a sloped area close to land; the photic or open-water zone, where sunlight is abundant; and the deep-water profundal or benthic zone, where little sunlight can reach.
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Hypolimnion: The colder, dense, deep water layer in a thermally stratified lake, lying below the metalimnion and removed from surface influences.
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A lake's shallowest layer is the epilimnion. Its middle layer is the metalimnion, or thermocline. The deepest layer is the hypolimnion. The most important chemicals in a lake are nitrogen and phosphorus.
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The surface layer of warm water is called the epilimnion. The cold layer below the epilimnion is called the hypolimnion. And the two layers are separated by a thinner layer of water - the thermocline (or metalimnion) - that quickly changes temperature with depth.
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So, the four zones of a lake are: the nearshore or littoral zone, open water or limnetic zone, deep water or profundal zone, the benthic zone or lake floor. The different conditions, such as the amount of light, food, and oxygen in each of the lake zones, affect what kind of organisms live there.
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thermocline (THUR-moe-kline) The middle layer in a thermally stratified lake or reservoir. In this layer there is a rapid decrease in temperature with depth.
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The profundal zone is a deep zone of an inland body of freestanding water, such as a lake or pond, located below the range of effective light penetration.
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The hypolimnion is the bottom layer and is colder and denser than either the epilimnion or metalimnion. When a lake or reservoir is thermally stratified, the hypolimnion becomes largely isolated from atmospheric conditions and is often referred to as being stagnant.
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