In this project, laboratory experiments will be used to determine the quantitative influence of buoyancy effects due to stable stratification on turbulent mixing of heat, salt, and momentum. Results will be applied both to interpreting ocean microstructure measurements, and to computational ocean models. Specific problems include: parameterization of turbulent transport in terms of the Prandtl number, Vaisala frequency, Richardson number, large scale flow gradients and flow evolution history; the influence of background or turbulence-generated internal waves on mixing and measured quantities; and comparative studies of 2- versus 3-dimensional turbulent mixing and evaluation of recent theoretical scalings. New optical measurement techniques to be used include laser Doppler anemometry and laser-induced fluorescence.
