LABORATORY MODELING OF THE EVOLUTION OF A PATCH OF MIXED LIQUID OF NONZERO BUOYANCY IN A LINEARLY-STRATIFIED MEDIUM

Abstract

We have done a laboratory study of the evolution of a cylindrical volume of mixed liquid of nonzero buoyancy in a linearly-stratified medium, and found that this process differs qualitatively from the evolution of an isolated patch at the depth at which its density is in equilibrium with the ambient water equilibrium-buoyancy level. We have then derived equations for the variation in the horizontal dimensions and volume of this mixed region as a function of its controlling variables. In our experiments the volume of the mixed region increased during its evolution by a factor of 30, on the average (the confidence range for this factor was 24 to 36).