Laboratory Modeling of Geophysical Turbulence

University Of California-San Diego, La Jolla CA

Investigators

Abstract

0081808 Linden/UCSD A study will be made of the interaction of vortices in stratified rotating flows. The study will consist of laboratory experiments conducted on a rotating table. Vortices will be generated by pumping flow in and out through the sides of the experimental tank in a number of different source/sink configurations. Experiments will be made in tanks with cylindrical and annular geometries. Sophisticated optical flow measurement techniques will be used to obtain flow velocities at a variety of depths. The aim of the study is to build up an understanding of the rotationally dominated, large-scale turbulence prevalent in the ocean. Interactions between individual vortices will be studied, together with the way in which multiple interactions between continuously forced vortices give rise to mean circulations.