Microstructure measurements in a thermohaline staircase

Abstract

Horizontal microscale measurements of temperatur and velocity at the interfaces of a well-developed thermohaline staircase show narrow-banded and large-amplitude temperature gradients and no measurable shear, features which previously have been interpreted fingers. However, the computed fluxes of heat and potential energy are nearly 2 orders of magnitude smaller than estimates based on laboratory measurements, and a vertically coherent and organized system of salt fingers was not observed. The horizontal temperature gradient variance appears to be isotropic and chaotic.