thermocline Hear it!

thermocline Definition

thermo·cline (t̸hʉr′mə klīn′)

noun

a layer of water between the warmer, surface zone and the colder, deep-water zone in a thermally stratified body of water, in which the temperature decreases rapidly with depth

Etymology: thermo- + -cline, as in anticline

thermocline Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • encounter: The visibility was variable, and we encountered three different thermoclines on one dive.
  • call: The region which separates the warmer water of the mixed layer from the colder deep ocean water is called the thermocline.