Why is lake water warmer at night?

During the night, the high specific heat capacity of the water causes it to cool much slower than nearby land areas. This makes the air over the body of water warmer than air over the land. Now the warmer air over the water will be rising and the cooler air over the land will move in to replace it.



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During the early morning hours, the land and the water start out at roughly the same temperature. On a calm morning, a given pressure surface will be at the same height above both the land and water. A few hours later, the sun's energy begins to warm the land more rapidly than the water.

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In summer, the top of the lake becomes warmer than the lower layers. You've probably noticed this when swimming in a lake in summer - your shoulders feel like they're in a warm bath while your feet are chilled. Since warm water is less dense that colder water, it stays on top of the lake surface.

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Originally Answered: Why does river water get warmer at night? It doesn't. Because the air is cooler at night and water tends to hold it's temperature better than air, the water will feel warmer due to the fact that your body adapted to the cooler air that surounded it before you stuck your hand in the water.

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But the surrounding scorching sand is often another story. It measured a stunning 137 degrees at peak heat one recent sunny day, according to infrared surface thermometer. “You can't even walk barefoot for more than a minute.” said Juvens Dalger, a personal trainer leading a workout at training site at Lummus Park.

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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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There is reduced visibility: Swimming in low light or after dark can be dangerous, especially if you're in an ocean, river or lake.

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