Numerical Simulations of Melt-Driven Double-Diffusive Fluxes in a Turbulent Boundary Layer beneath an Ice Shelf ...

• Main Authors: Middleton, L, Vreugdenhil, CA, Holland, PR, Taylor
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: American Meteorological Society 2021
• Subjects: Ice shelves; Mixing; Turbulence; Ice Shelf; Ice Shelves
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.17863/cam.72613; https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/325156

AbstractThe transport of heat and salt through turbulent ice shelf–ocean boundary layers is a large source of uncertainty within ocean models of ice shelf cavities. This study uses small-scale, high-resolution, 3D numerical simulations to model an idealized boundary layer beneath a melting ice shelf to investigate the influence of ambient turbulence on double-diffusive convection (i.e., convection driven by the difference in diffusivities between salinity and temperature). Isotropic turbulence is forced throughout the simulations and the temperature and salinity are initialized with homogeneous values similar to observations. The initial temperature and the strength of forced turbulence are varied as controlling parameters within an oceanographically relevant parameter space. Two contrasting regimes are identified. In one regime double-diffusive convection dominates, and in the other convection is inhibited by the forced turbulence. The convective regime occurs for high temperatures and low turbulence ...