thermocline
noun
ther·mo·cline
ˈthər-mə-ˌklīn 
: the region in a thermally stratified body of water which separates warmer surface water from cold deep water and in which temperature decreases rapidly with depth
Examples of thermocline in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Just beyond the thermocline, where the temperature abruptly drops, a hand emerged from the murk and grabbed me by the wrist, dragging me the last few inches to the bottom.
—
Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
The best way to target the blues during this time is to fish around the thermocline, either over deep water using floats and planer boards to suspend baits, or by fishing areas where the thermocline meets the bottom, or shallower.
—The Editors, Outdoor Life, 8 June 2020
Feedback included a desire for more monsters and more illustration of the depths below the thermocline.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 4 Aug. 2023
And with a thick layer of warm water moving east — that big blob of a Kelvin wave — the thermocline tends to get pushed downward.
—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 7 Mar. 2015
The transition between these two layers — the warm, well mixed surface water, and the cold, more uniform deeper water — is the thermocline.
—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 7 Mar. 2015
The ocean has three primary layers -- the surface layer (sometimes referred to as the mixed layer), the thermocline layer and the deep ocean.
—Allison Chinchar, CNN, 7 May 2022
The best Lake Erie walleye and steelhead trout fishing from Lorain to Conneaut has been in deeper waters, and anglers are targeting fish hanging around the thermocline that separates the warmer and cooler waters in summer.
—cleveland, 26 Aug. 2021
Reports from successful fishermen pinpoint the thermocline at just 10 feet from the lake bottom in 63- to 68-foot depths.
—cleveland, 26 Aug. 2021
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
The best way to target the blues during this time is to fish around the thermocline, either over deep water using floats and planer boards to suspend baits, or by fishing areas where the thermocline meets the bottom, or shallower.
—The Editors, Outdoor Life, 8 June 2020
Feedback included a desire for more monsters and more illustration of the depths below the thermocline.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 4 Aug. 2023
And with a thick layer of warm water moving east — that big blob of a Kelvin wave — the thermocline tends to get pushed downward.
—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 7 Mar. 2015
The transition between these two layers — the warm, well mixed surface water, and the cold, more uniform deeper water — is the thermocline.
—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 7 Mar. 2015
The ocean has three primary layers -- the surface layer (sometimes referred to as the mixed layer), the thermocline layer and the deep ocean.
—Allison Chinchar, CNN, 7 May 2022
The best Lake Erie walleye and steelhead trout fishing from Lorain to Conneaut has been in deeper waters, and anglers are targeting fish hanging around the thermocline that separates the warmer and cooler waters in summer.
—cleveland, 26 Aug. 2021
Reports from successful fishermen pinpoint the thermocline at just 10 feet from the lake bottom in 63- to 68-foot depths.
—cleveland, 26 Aug. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Thermocline.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thermocline. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share