Mechanics of merging events for a series of layers in a stratified turbulent fluid

Abstract

This study attempts to explain the evolutionary pattern of a series of well-mixed layers separated by thin high-gradient interfaces frequently observed in stratified fluids. Such layered structures form as a result of the instability of the equilibrium with uniform stratification, and their subsequent evolution is characterized by a sequence of merging events which systematically increase the average layer thickness. The coarsening of layers can take one of two forms, depending on the realized vertical buoyancy flux law. Layers merge either when the high-gradient interfaces drift and collide, or when some interfaces gradually erode without moving vertically. The selection of a preferred pattern of coarsening is rationalized by the analytical theory – the merging theorem – which is based on linear stability analysis for a series of identical layers and strongly stratified interfaces. The merging theorem suggests that the merger by erosion of weak interfaces occurs when the vertical buoyancy flux decreases with the buoyancy variation across the step. If the buoyancy flux increases with step height, then coarsening of a staircase may result from drift and collision of the adjacent interfaces. Our model also quantifies the time scale of merging events and makes it possible to predict whether the layer merging continues indefinitely or whether the coarsening is ultimately arrested. The merging theorem is applied to extant one-dimensional models of turbulent mixing and successfully tested against the corresponding fully nonlinear numerical simulations. It is hypothesized that the upscale cascade of buoyancy variance associated with merging events may be one of the significant sources of the fine-scale (∼ 10m) variability in the ocean.