Limnology 101: Lake Stratification (Part 1)

Have you ever noticed the water is warmer at the surface when you swim in a lake? What's going on? CFL graduate student, Colin Smith, walks you through thermal stratification using animations, experiments and an awesome live demo as he explains what is, perhaps, the most important physical process in temperate lakes. It's science made clear. It's "Limnology 101." *Note: This video is a demonstration of the principles of stratification. Some footage may not be rigorously scientifically accurate.

[@anne-mariegolba8602]

Thank you, interesting!!

[@GeoscienceImaging]

A great intro, excellent demonstration. Will there ever be a part 2?

[@meaghanmckenzie9723]

Great video! Is there any way you could make a video about spring turnover? I get that warmer water floats in the summer and sink in the fall when it cools down, but it would be very helpful to see a video of the ice on a lake melting in the spring

[@adamhint]

We're working on it - our videographer got distracted by his thesis!

[@TylerSimonds]

Thanks for sharing with us! That's a cool demo to visualize stratification. Can you do one (a video, at least) that talks about mixing between seasons? Like, how does a stratified lake become mixed?

[@WiscLimnology]

Hi Tyler, we're working on it - but Colin is in the throes of the master's thesis right now! Stay tuned!