Quantifying stratified turbulence in gravity currents

The student working on this project will determine how the internal mixing dynamics influence the degree to which gravity currents entrain fluid. Gravity currents are important flows for oceanography that form when dense water cascades down the continental slope. There are also many important engineering applications, such a dense waste-water disposal from a desalination plant, or the fate of underwater turbidity currents.

The student will conduct laboratory experiments using particle image velocimetry, an acoustic Doppler velocimeter and a high resolution density measurements to measure the small-scale density and velocity fields to test our previous predictions on how entrainment rate and the internal mixing dynamics depends upon the bulk entrainment rate of gravity currents.

It is anticipated that within the 12 week program that enough experimental data will be collected to result in subsequent peer reviewed journal publication.

Faculty Supervisor:

Mathew Wells

Student:

Partner:

Discipline:

Sector:

University:

University of Toronto

Program:

Globalink Research Internship