thermocline
Noun
Meaning
thermocline (plural thermoclines)
(geography) A layer within a body of water or air where the temperature changes rapidly with depth.
Related terms
Examples
While the lake is relatively warmer than the other Great Lakes, there is a thermocline, meaning that as a diver descends, the water temperature drops about convert, requiring a wetsuit.
Deep-dwelling coccolithophore species abundance is greatly affected by nutricline and thermocline depths.
The first convert of Lake Ontario is warmed and enters the St. Lawrence river as the fast-moving water body has no thermocline circulation.