Current projects

MUST: Mathematical Underpinnings of Stratified Turbulence

The fluid mechanics groups in applied mathematics at Bristol and Cambridge have joined together in major new £2.3M project funded by an EPSRC Programme grant.

OVERVIEW

This project will develop the mathematical underpinnings of stratified turbulence, building on the dynamical systems viewpoint developed for a fluid which has a constant density and extending it to one in which the fluid density varies in space and time. The inclusion of buoyancy effects will allow us to probe universal aspects of turbulence in a way that would not be possible in a homogeneous fluid.

Our approach is based on tight quantitative coupling between mathematics, simulation and experimentation. We plan to build a new experiment in which the turbulence is generated by shear and opposed by the stratification. One of the important outcomes will be to develop a simplified dynamical description that captures the key physics of stratified turbulence, and provide a generic tool for understanding and modelling turbulence and mixing processes in diverse contexts of economic, environmental and societal importance.

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PEOPLE

Principal Investigator

Paul Linden DAMTP, Cambridge

Co-Investigators

Colm-cille Caulfield DAMTP, Cambridge

Stuart Dalziel DAMTP, Cambridge

Rich Kerswell School of Mathematics, Bristol

John Taylor DAMTP, Cambridge

Researchers

Jacob Page Bristol

Dan Lucas DAMTP