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hypolimnion

 
Dictionary: hy·po·lim·ni·on   ('pə-lĭm'nē-ŏn', -ən) pronunciation
 
n.

The layer of water in a thermally stratified lake that lies below the thermocline, is noncirculating, and remains perpetually cold.

[HYPO– + Greek limnē, lake, pool.]

hypolimnetic hy'po·lim·net'ic (-lĭm-nĕt'ĭk) or hy'po·lim'ni·al adj.
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Geography Dictionary: hypolimnion
 

The lower layers in a body of water which are marked by low temperatures and insufficient light for photosynthesis. Levels of dissolved oxygen are low.

 
Wikipedia: Hypolimnion
Top
Lake zones
Littoral zone
Limnetic zone
Profundal zone
Benthic zone
Lake stratification
Epilimnion
Metalimnion
Hypolimnion
Lake types
Holomictic lake
   Monomictic lake
   Dimictic lake
   Polymictic lake
Meromictic lake
Amictic lake
Aquatic layers

The hypolimnion is the dense, bottom layer of water in a thermally-stratified lake. It is the layer that lies below the thermocline.

Typically the hypolimnion is the coldest layer of a lake in summer, and the warmest layer during winter. Being at depth, it is isolated from surface wind-mixing during summer, and usually receives insufficient irradiance (light) for photosynthesis to occur.

In deep, temperate lakes, the bottom-most waters of the hypolimnion are typically close to 4°C throughout the year. The hypolimnion may be much warmer in lakes at warmer latitudes.

The word "hypolimnion" is one of the longest words that can be typed with only the right hand on a QWERTY and AZERTY keyboard.

See also

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Learn More
Fresh-water ecosystem (ecology)
Epilimnion
Lake stratification

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Why are there more non-particle reactive contaminants in the hypolimnion at a higher rate of turnover?

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Geography Dictionary. A Dictionary of Geography. Copyright © Susan Mayhew 1992, 1997, 2004. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Hypolimnion" Read more