Molecular Diffusivity Effects on Mixing in a Diffusively-Stable, Turbulent Flow

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9977208RehmannThis laboratory study will examine the effect of the order of magnitude difference between the molecular diffusivities of heat and salt on the transport of the latter quantities by turbulence. The focus will be on turbulence in stratified flows that are not unstable to double-diffusive instabilities. Motivation for this study comes from field observations and numerical modeling results which suggest that in some types of turbulent flow there is differential transport of heat and salt. The laboratory experiments will provide a more controlled environment and more comprehensive observations than can be achieved in the field. The importance of understanding the degree to which differential transport of heat and salt occurs lies in the role that these transports play in determining the density stratification of the ocean and consequently the large-scale climatological transport of heat by the ocean.