Theory and experiments on the control of the stratification in almost-enclosed regions

Abstract

A comparison is made between the theoretically predicted and the observed stratification in a container which is traversed by a prescribed flux of fluid. Two different geometries were used illustrating respectively a useful procedure for the control of a stratified laboratory system and a mechanism which is believed to be geophysically significant, e.g. for the control of the stratification in certain estuaries. The behaviour of the fluid system was in all cases characterized by an almost stagnant interior with a boundary layer at the non-horizontal wall of buoyancy-layer type. Agreement between theory and experiment was satisfactory within experimental errors, say 10% of the overall temperature difference.