What is a thermocline and what effect does it have on reservoir fish populations?
As the surface water warms in the late spring, a distinct temperature gradient is formed between the warm surface water and the cool water below. This thermocline does not allow the cold water to mix with the warm, oxygenated water above. The cold water slowly loses oxygen due to the decay of organisms and lack of photosynthesis. In certain reservoirs, the cold water loses enough oxygen during the summer that it can no longer support certain cool water species like striped bass.
