What is the warm water layer of a lake called?

While every lake is different and will turnover in different ways, when an average lake stratification occurs, three different layers of water typically form. The shallowest layer is the warm surface layer termed epilimnion. This layer interacts with the wind and sunlight. It also contains the most dissolved oxygen.



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Because water warmer than 40oF is more buoyant than cooler water, spring warming creates a shallow, warmer layer of water late in the day on the downwind side of a lake. Other factors being the same, the north side will warm more quickly than the south side of the lake.

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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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