chemocline
KEM-oh-kline
Definition
A layer in a body of water where there is a sharp gradient or vertical change in the chemical composition, specifically relating to oxygen and hydrogen sulphide levels.
Etymology
The word is a scientific compound derived from the Greek 'chemeia' (alchemy or chemistry) and 'klinein' (to slope or slant), reflecting the sloping change in chemical concentrations.
In the news
In this article, the chemocline marks the specific depth where the oxygen-rich surface water meets the oxygen-free, hydrogen-sulphide-rich depths, creating the boundary that preserves ancient shipwrecks.
At the bottom of the Black Sea, below about 150 metres, the water contains no oxygen at all, and shipwrecks preserved in that dead zone include a 2,400-year-old Greek merchant vessel found in 2018 with its mast, rudder and rowing benches still intact on the
Read the full article ↗ScienceBlog.com