What is thermal stratification? 

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Thermal stratification happens in the summer. After a bunch of mixing of the water during spring and autumn, with a period of cooler water during winter, the lake's water warms up in summer because of the sun. The water's more still during this time compared to spring and autumn. The water in deeper lakes then form 3 distinct layers:1. warmer (less dense) epilimnion layer at the surface2. the thin thermocline (transition) layer3. the cold and deepest hypolimnion layer