Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
hypolimnion

hypolimnion

1 9.9
The cold lower layer of water in a lake under the warm surface
  • noun
  • /ˌhaɪpəˈlɪmnɪən/
  • Specialized
: hipolimnion
  • The hypolimnion remains relatively stable in temperature, providing a refuge for certain aquatic species during heat waves.

Examples

  • During stratification, the hypolimnion is marked by lower oxygen levels compared to the upper layers of the lake.

  • These universal components are accompanied by more idiosyncratic ones during atypical floods (for example, the cooling and deoxygenation that follow sudden releases of water from the hypolimnion of large reservoirs).

    Academic text (2006)

  • In summer, the fish often migrate down to the colder hypolimnion layer of the lake to find cooler water.

Surface Forms

hypolimnion singular
hypolimnions plural

Morphology

hypolimnion = hypo + limnion

Although the term contains the recognizable Greek prefix hypo- meaning 'below', the remaining base is a specialized scientific form rather than a familiar English word, so the meaning is not readily inferable for most learners.

Etymology

Hypolimnion comes from Greek parts hypo- meaning 'under', as in hypothermia, and limn- meaning 'lake', so the hypolimnion is the cold layer of water that sits 'under' the warmer surface of a lake.