Quote Originally Posted by crappiedoc View Post
Nope, water is it's heaviest around 39* and it's lightest at 32*. It's these opposing forces that create the turn-over. My local lake turned already about 2 weeks ago. Actually, I believe it's turned a couple times this year, or some form of it. This weird weather sure seemed to turn the shallows back in Feb. It's the opposite in the fall. For us here in KS we get a true turn-over a couple times/decade. The water temps fall to slow or gradual to force the abrupt change. 3 years ago temps went from 50* to froze in days and when we ventured onto the ice and cut holes the water was dirty from the turn-over.
Oh ya, gottcha ya…I guess I had fall turnover on the brain. Here in NE on the lakes and reservoirs I have done research on, including DO and temperature profiles, the surface water temperatures in the spring never mix all the way to the hpolimnion except in the extreme shallow depths. In general, after ice out the warming water, driven by wind, only mixes with the middle and upper third until the entire water column is a homogeneous 39 degrees. Of course, thereafter, the warmer water lies in the epilimnion. Rarely have I personally documented a complete spring turnover.
Also, NE really only has a few bodies of water that exhibit a true thermocline or stratification during the summer months. It can be a fairly productive time to fish if a person can find that magical depth. Now in the fall we do experience a complete turnover, which I might add is a difficult time, specifically for me, to catch fish.
Anyhow, good limnology chat…lol.