An airlift as typically used for lake aeration is a device that uses a rising bubble plume to lift water upward from the bottom to the surface to eliminate stratification, resulting in the lake becoming a homogeneous mixture.

Mounting two or more diffusers in a strategic manner creates a synergistic effect in causing the lifting rate to be greater than the sum of the diffusers by themselves. This efficiency not only speeds up destratification but also saves energy and associated costs for lake destratification.

When evaluating a destratification system keep in mind that an airlift's bubble size and diffusers' synergistic spacing are critical factors in a system's effectiveness.