High resolution direct numerical simulations are used to investigate the dynamics of turbulence in flows subject to strong stable stratification, which are common in natural settings. Results are presented for two categories of simulations, uniform and non-uniform density stratification. For all simulated flows, the density stratification was held constant in time, and there was no ambient shear. Flows with uniform density stratification are first analyzed to help provide clear insight to physical processes, followed by flows with non-uniform density stratification which better represent the stratification occurring in nature.

Ocean Mixing: Drivers, Mechanisms and Impacts presents a broad panorama of one of the most rapidly-developing areas of marine science. It highlights the state-of-the-art concerning knowledge of the causes of ocean mixing, and a perspective on the implications for ocean circulation, climate, biogeochemistry and the marine ecosystem. This edited volume places a particular emphasis on elucidating the key future questions relating to ocean mixing, and emerging ideas and activities to address them, including innovative technology developments and advances in methodology. Ocean Mixing is a key reference for those entering the field, and for those seeking a comprehensive overview of how the key current issues are being addressed and what the priorities for future research are. Each chapter is written by established leaders in ocean mixing research; the volume is thus suitable for those seeking specific detailed information on sub-topics, as well as those seeking a broad synopsis of current understanding. It provides useful ammunition for those pursuing funding for specific future research campaigns, by being an authoritative source concerning key scientific goals in the short, medium and long term. Additionally, the chapters contain bespoke and informative graphics that can be used in teaching and science communication to convey the complex concepts and phenomena in easily accessible ways. Presents a coherent overview of the state-of-the-art research concerning ocean mixing Provides an in-depth discussion of how ocean mixing impacts all scales of the planetary system Includes elucidation of the grand challenges in ocean mixing, and how they might be addressed

Turbulence, mixing and the mutual interaction of turbulence and chemistry continue to remain perplexing and impregnable in the fron tiers of fluid mechanics. The past ten years have brought enormous advances in computers and computational techniques on the one hand and in measurements and data processing on the other. The impact of such capabilities has led to a revolution both in the understanding of the structure of turbulence as well as in the predictive methods for application in technology. The early ideas on turbulence being an array of complicated phenomena and having some form of reasonably strong coherent struc ture have become well substantiated in recent experimental work. We are still at the very beginning of understanding all of the aspects of such coherence and of the possibilities of incorporating such structure into the analytical models for even those cases where the thin shear layer approximation may be valid. Nevertheless a distinguished body of "eddy chasers" has come into existence. The structure of mixing layers which has been studied for some years in terms of correlations and spectral analysis is also getting better understood. Both probability concepts such as intermittency and conditional sampling as well as the concept of large scale structure and the associated strain seem to indicate possibilities of distinguishing and synthesizing 'engulfment' and molecular mixing.