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thermocline
thermocline, a zone of sharp temperature change in the water, across which there is a sufficient increase in the density of the water to inhibit mixing between the water mass above and below it. Seasonal thermoclines occur year-round within a 100 metres (325 ft) or so of the surface in the tropics and develop in late spring as the surface ocean warms up at temperate latitudes (>40°) and then get eroded in autumn as the weather cools down. There is a permanent thermocline in deeper water that divides the warm upper ocean from the colder deep water. Along the polar fronts, such as the Antarctic Convergence, the permanent thermoclines outcrop at the surface and mark the equatorward boundary of the polar oceans. For illus. see el niño.
M. V. Angel |
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"thermocline." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "thermocline." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-thermocline.html "thermocline." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-thermocline.html |
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thermocline
thermocline A steep temperature gradient that exists in the middle zone (the metalimnion) of a lake and gives rise to thermally induced vertical stratification of the water. The metalimnion lies between the relatively warm epilimnion above and the cold hypolimnion below. The thermocline may represent a temperature change of 1°C for every incremental depth of 1 metre of water. It may be short-lived, especially in shallow lakes where wind action can mix the water from different levels. However, it can exist for most of the summer period in temperate lakes and sometimes nearly all year in tropical lakes. A thermocline can speed up the process of eutrophication by preventing the diffusion of oxygen from the epilimnion to the hypolimnion (see eutrophic).
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"thermocline." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "thermocline." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-thermocline.html "thermocline." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-thermocline.html |
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thermocline
thermocline Generally, a gradient of temperature change, but applied more particularly to the zone of rapid temperature change between the warm surface waters and cooler waters at depth. In the oceans, this zone of rapid temperature change starts at 10–500m below the surface and can extend down to more than 1500m. In polar regions the thermocline is generally absent since the ocean surface is covered with ice in winter and solar radiation is small in summer. In thermally stratified lakes in summer the thermocline separates the warm surface waters (epilimnion) from the cooler deep waters (hypolimnion).
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AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "thermocline." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "thermocline." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-thermocline.html AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "thermocline." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-thermocline.html |
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thermocline
thermocline Generally, a gradient of temperature change, but applied more particularly to the zone of rapid temperature change between the warm surface waters (epilimnion) and cooler deep waters (hypolimnion) in a thermally stratified lake in summer. In the oceans this zone of rapid temperature change starts 10–500 m below the surface and can extend down to more than 1500 m. In polar regions the thermocline is generally absent, because the ocean surface is covered with ice in winter and solar radiation is small in summer.
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "thermocline." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "thermocline." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O14-thermocline.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "thermocline." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O14-thermocline.html |
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thermocline
thermocline Generally, a gradient of temperature change, but applied more particularly to the zone of rapid temperature change between the warm surface waters (epilimnion) and cooler deep waters (hypolimnion) in a thermally stratified lake in summer.
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "thermocline." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "thermocline." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-thermocline.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "thermocline." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-thermocline.html |
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