It is my understanding that within a given medium warmer substances tend to rise and cooler substances fall, i.e. warmer air above cooler.
Assuming the same is true with water then in a lake the cooler water should fall to the bottom while warmer water rises to the top, correct? If so, I would expect that lakes would freeze from the bottom up. Can you please explain why this isn’t the case?
Thanks for your explanation.
In: 23
The air temperature can drop before the water temperature, and as a result, the surface of the water can freeze first where it is in contact with the cold air. Although warm water has a tendency to rise, once it freezes and turns into ice, it has a lower density compared to liquid water and therefore, it floats on the surface.
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