Question 69 of 82
Q.What is thermal stratification ? Mention their types.
Puducherry TnboardTamil Nadu HSC (DGE) Board 2022Subjective· 3mImportance★★★★★
84% · 69/82 Questions
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Thermal stratification is the seasonal layering of a lake by temperature/density, occurring as direct (summer) or inverse (winter) stratification.
Thermal stratification is the phenomenon, seen mainly in temperate lakes, in which the water body becomes arranged into distinct horizontal layers differing in temperature and hence in density, because water density varies with temperature (water is densest at about 4 degC). A fully stratified lake commonly shows three zones:
- Epilimnion: the upper, warmer, well-mixed and less dense layer.
- Thermocline (metalimnion): the middle zone where temperature drops rapidly with depth, acting as a barrier that resists mixing between the upper and lower layers.
- Hypolimnion: the lower, colder, denser, relatively undisturbed layer.
Types of thermal stratification:
- Direct (summer) stratification: during warm months, the surface water is heated and becomes warm and light, floating over the colder, denser water below; the epilimnion (warm) overlies the hypolimnion (cold), with a thermocline in between. …
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