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Why can a windy lake stay layered?

Wind stirs a lake’s surface, yet deeper water can remain separate. In many temperate freshwater lakes, temperature differences create density layers that resist complete mixing. When those density differences weaken, wind can mix more deeply, although lake shape and conditions mean turnover is not a universal twice-yearly event.

5–7 min

Questions you could explore

  • What makes one temperature profile easier to mix than another?

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3–5 min

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2–3 min

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4–5 min

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Why can a windy lake stay layered? | Speech Topic | speaking.app