Contact Info
Department of Applied Mathematics
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Canada N2L 3G1
Phone: 519-888-4567, ext. 32700
Fax: 519-746-4319
PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader
MC 6460
Miles Couchman,York University
Data-driven explorations of turbulent mixing in stratified flows
Understanding how turbulence enhances the irreversible mixing of scalars in density-stratified fluids is a central problem in geophysical fluid dynamics. Of critical importance is accurately parametrizing how turbulence transports heat within the ocean, a leading area of uncertainty in global climate models. We here present a series of data-driven approaches for extracting novel insight into turbulent mixing processes based on local analyses of the flow. First, we describe an unsupervised clustering technique for analyzing spatiotemporal distributions of mixing in oceanographic data, highlighting that traditional methods of analysis may significantly underestimate mixing generated by extreme, localized events. We then consider complementary direct numerical simulations of stratified turbulence, revealing that extreme mixing events are often correlated with the formation of stable, anisotropic density interfaces embedded within the turbulent flow. Finally, we introduce an automated method for classifying experimental videos of stratified flow instabilities, uncovering new dynamical regimes and turbulent transition pathways. Collectively, our findings suggest that rare, but extreme mixing events have the potential to dominate bulk mixing statistics. Current parametrizations of oceanic heat transport may thus be skewed by undersampled measurements, resulting in a focus on the most common, but not necessarily the most significant, mixing events.
Contact Info
Department of Applied Mathematics
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Canada N2L 3G1
Phone: 519-888-4567, ext. 32700
Fax: 519-746-4319
PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader
The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is co-ordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.