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Persistent weak thermal stratification inhibits mixing in the epilimnion of north-temperate Lake Opeongo, Canada

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Abstract

Persistent weak temperature stratification characterizes the epilimnion of Lake Opeongo, Ontario, Canada, and reduces the magnitude of turbulent mixing. Throughout July and August 2009, the epilimnion was isothermal for only 34 % of the record, while for 28 % of the record there was at least a 2 °C temperature difference across the 5 m deep epilimnion. During these stratified periods, there were increases in gradient Richardson numbers (Ri g ), and decreases in rates of dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy (\(\varepsilon\)), the turbulence activity parameter (I = ε/νN 2), an indicator of active mixing, and vertical eddy diffusivity (K z ) inferred from temperature microstructure profiles. During periods of shear induced mixing, values of ε approached 10−6 m2 s−3 and decreased during periods of increasing Ri g . For 0 < Ri g  < 1, average values of I were ~1,000 and values of K z were slightly higher than 10−4 m2 s−1. For Ri g >1, average values of I were ~300 and K z was reduced by one to three orders of magnitude. Mixing during cold fronts occurred over time scales of minutes to hours, which worked to erode diurnal thermoclines. However, during periods of persistent secondary thermoclines, mixing was suppressed throughout the epilimnion.

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Acknowledgments

The field work was conducted at the OMNR Harkness field station, and we thank Mark Ridgway for his help and support. Funding was provided by the US National Science Foundation Grants DEB0640953, DEB0919603, and ARC0714085 to SM. MGW was supported by the Canadian Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario Research Fund. PP was supported by an OGSST award and a University of Toronto CGCS travel award.

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  1. Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M1C1A4, Canada

    Patricia Pernica & Mathew G. Wells

  2. Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106-9620, USA

    Sally MacIntyre

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  1. Patricia Pernica
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Correspondence to Patricia Pernica.

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Pernica, P., Wells, M.G. & MacIntyre, S. Persistent weak thermal stratification inhibits mixing in the epilimnion of north-temperate Lake Opeongo, Canada. Aquat Sci 76, 187–201 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-013-0328-1

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