Salt-Finger convection in the surface discharge of heated saline jets

Abstract

Experimental investigations of the surface discharge of two-dimensional heated saline jets into surroundings with stable, constant salt gradients were carried out. The discharge conditions were parameterized with the densimetric Froude number, and the Reynolds number. The evolution of the discharge was monitored by flow visualization methods, and by the measurements of temperature and salinity distributions. For comparison, experiments of the surface discharge of heated water into homogeneous surroundings at the corresponding discharge conditions were also conducted. The results clearly showed that while in the former case, the region away from the vicinity of the discharge manifold was marked by the presence of salt-finger convection, in the latter case this region exhibited stable thermal stratification. Furthermore the occurrence of salt-finger convection considerably retarded the motion of the jet, and increased the penetration depth of temperature and salinity fields.