Digitwin:Stratification Regime

General Information

North Sea

Stratification Regime

Layer Info
Category	Management
Editable	No
Values
Permanently Stratified
Intermittently Stratified
Seasonally Stratified
Transitional
Region of Freshwater Influence

Description

Stratification refers to the layering of water with different physical and chemical properties. Large bodies of water are stratified into distinct layers, with each an unique composition. The vertical layering is determined by factors such as salinity, density, and temperature.

Stratification has important implications for marine biology, ocean circulation, and the distribution of nutrients and gases. Generally speaking there are multiple different types of layers, starting at the top:

1. Epipelagic Zone, which refers to the surface layer, generally warmer and less dense than the other layers. This layer is usually well-mixed due to wind, wave and current action, and extents from the top to a few hundred meters below.
2. Thermocline Zone, the name refers to the rapid decrease in temperature with depth. This layer acts as a barrier to vertical movement and is characterized by a sharp temperature gradient.
3. Mesopelagic and Bathypelagic Zones, this layer extends from below the Thermocline zone all the way to the ocean floor and is relatively stable, with minimal vertical mixing.

MSP Challenge

In the MSP Challenge, stratification is a modeled simulation, providing insight into the stratification and compositions of the Epipelagic Zone (upper layer of water).

Not Applicable. This layer is not available in the North Sea Edition.

North Sea Digitwin Edition

In the North Sea Digitwin Edition, the stratification layer is based on data from running model simulations in the North Sea by van Leeuwen et al., 2015. This data represents data from 1956 till 2008 and was last updated in 2019-11.