Desalination discharges are commonly in the form of inclined negatively buoyant jets (INBJs). Numerical predictions of INBJs remain a challenge. While accurate large eddy simulations (LES) of INBJs have become available very recently, they are substantially more resource intensive. Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) modelling is potentially more efficient and can be more readily applied in practice. However, existing RANS simulations show substantial error when compared with experimental measurements. In this study, RANS simulations of 45° INBJs are performed with a dynamic turbulent Schmidt number (DTSN) approach. This new approach involves extracting turbulent Schmidt number ( Sc_t ) profiles in the INBJs from recently published LES data that have been validated by experiments. Detailed cross-sectional Sc_t profiles in INBJs are reported here for the first time. The relationship between Sc_t and a local mean flow parameter is also determined from the LES data. RANS simulations are then performed—with Sc_t being allowed to change dynamically during the simulation according to the pre-determined relationship. The results show that the DTSN approach improved the overall predictive capabilities of the RANS model to a limited extent. However, significant issues remain in terms of the models’ ability to predict dilutions in the descending portion of the flow. Importantly, the DTSN simulations demonstrate that the model predictions are sensitive to the determination of the relationship between Sc_t and the local flow parameter. Further improvements in the DTSN approach are therefore possible with refinement to the characterisation of this relationship. Based on a discussion of the present and recent literature describing RANS simulations of INBJs, the authors encourage a more cautious interpretation of the current predictive capabilities of RANS simulations in the context of INBJs.

Melting icebergs provide nearly half of the total freshwater flux from ice shelves to the ocean, but the availability of accurate, data-constrained melting rate parametrisations limits the correct representation of this process in ocean models. Here, we investigate the melting of a vertical ice face in a warm, salt-stratified environment in a laboratory setting. Observations of the depth-dependent melting rates ${m}$ and boundary layer flow speed $U$ are reported for a range of initially uniform far-field ambient temperatures $T_a$ above ${10}\,^{\circ }{\rm C}$ . Ice scallops are characteristic features observed in all experiments, with the width of the scallops consistent with the theory of double-diffusive layers. The morphology of the scallops changes from symmetric about the scallop centre in the colder experiments to asymmetric in the warmer experiments. Observed melting rates are consistent with a melting rate scaling of the form ${m}\propto U\,\Delta T_a$ proposed by previous work in less extreme parameter regimes, where $\Delta T_a$ is the magnitude of thermal driving between the ambient and ice–fluid interface. Our results indicate that ice scalloping is closely linked to the naturally convecting flow of the ambient fluid. Depth-averaged melting rates depend on the buoyancy frequency in the ambient fluid, and double-diffusive convection promotes a turbulent-flux regime distinct from that explained previously in an unstratified regime. These findings have implications for parametrising melting rates of icebergs and glaciers in numerical models or potential freshwater harvesting operations, and provide insights into the interplay between stratification and ice melting.

A holistic review is given of the Southern Ocean dynamic system, in the context of the crucial role it plays in the global climate and the profound changes it is experiencing. The review focuses on connections between different components of the Southern Ocean dynamic system, drawing together contemporary perspectives from different research communities, with the objective of “closing loops” in our understanding of the complex network of feedbacks in the overall system. The review is targeted at researchers in Southern Ocean physical science with the ambition of broadening their knowledge beyond their specific field and facilitating better-informed interdisciplinary collaborations. For the purposes of this review, the Southern Ocean dynamic system is divided into four main components: large-scale circulation; cryosphere; turbulence; and gravity waves. Overviews are given of the key dynamical phenomena for each component, before describing the linkages between the components. The reviews are complemented by an overview of observed Southern Ocean trends and future climate projections. Priority research areas are identified to close remaining loops in our understanding of the Southern Ocean system.

The results of numerical simulations of inclined negatively buoyant jets are presented. These simulations address previously highlighted difficulties in capturing sufficient detail of critical flow processes to effectively predict the detailed flow behaviour. In particular, the new simulations are able to accurately capture the details of the buoyancy-induced instabilities, which are clearly evident in associated experimental investigations and that have significant impacts on the flow behaviour. This new information is captured for inclined negatively buoyant jets discharged at 45° above a horizontal reference plane. A Large Eddy Simulation (LES) approach is implemented that makes use of a Lagrangian Dynamic Sub-grid scale (SGS) model and a novel criterion for the adaptive meshing system. Comparisons with previously published simulation results and experimental data demonstrate that these new Adaptive LES simulations provide improved predictions of flow path, concentration and velocity fields, and associated mean and turbulent statistics. In addition, this study provides a set of methods for generating high-quality LES data sets for free shear flows, which are well beyond the level of detail that can be captured by current experimental systems.

Fixed moorings and underwater vehicles have uncovered varied patterns of melting and morphology under a West Antarctic glacier, offering insight into the potential for its collapse and highlighting key challenges for modelling.

Abstract This paper summarizes the results of the first investigation into the effect of particle‐laden plumes on glacier melting using laboratory experiments. We find that the melt rate, when the ice is exposed to a particle‐laden plume, can be larger than when exposed to an equivalent plume without particles. The increased melt rate is linked to an increase in the plume velocity in response to the presence of suspended particles. Including this increased velocity in a plume model improves melt rate predictions from the “three‐equation model” by approximately 45% for the range of particle concentrations used in this study.

We present laboratory experiments that investigate the structure and flow characteristics of gravity currents travelling through an array of roughness elements. The roughness elements are of comparable height to the gravity current such that the current flows through the roughness array rather than over it. The frontal velocity and density structure are measured as the current transitions from flowing along a smooth bed to flowing through the roughness array, and then back to a smooth bed. We find that, upon entering the roughness array, the gravity current decelerates and the density structure changes from the head and tail structure typical of smooth bed gravity currents, to a wedge shape. A model is presented that explains the deceleration and change in shape based on a dynamic balance between a pressure gradient within the current tail and a drag force associated with individual roughness elements. This model accurately predicts the deceleration of the gravity current, supporting the proposed dynamic balance.

We use laboratory experiments to investigate the entrainment of ambient fluid into an axisymmetric turbulent plume that contains dense particles with a settling velocity that is considerably smaller than the plume velocity. We consider the effect of particle size, particle concentration, and the orientation of the plume buoyancy flux - either in the same or opposite direction to the particle buoyancy flux. When the plume buoyancy flux is in the opposite direction to the particle buoyancy flux, entrainment into the plume increases by up to 40%. The rate of entrainment increases linearly with the ratio of particle buoyancy flux to fluid buoyancy flux but does not depend on the particle size. In contrast, when the plume buoyancy flux is in the same direction as the particle buoyancy flux, entrainment into the plume is unaffected by the addition of particles. The observed increase in entrainment, when the plume and particle buoyancy fluxes are in opposite directions, is consistent with inertial clustering whereby particles are ejected from regions of relatively high vorticity and accumulate in regions of relatively high strain rate within the turbulent flow field. Regions with high particle concentration can then experience convective instabilities that affect the entrainment of ambient fluid into the plume. The differing behaviour observed based on the plume buoyancy flux orientation is also consistent with the above mechanism. Finally, based on the laboratory findings, we propose a new expression for the entrainment coefficient to take into account the effect of suspended particles of opposing buoyancy flux to the plume buoyancy flux.

Iceberg meltwater is a critical freshwater flux from the cryosphere to the oceans. Global climate simulations therefore require simple and accurate parametrizations of iceberg melting. Iceberg shape is an important but often neglected aspect of iceberg melting. Icebergs have an enormous range of shapes and sizes, and distinct processes dominate basal and side melting. We show how different iceberg aspect ratios and relative ambient water velocities affect melting using a combined experimental and numerical study. The experimental results show significant variations in melting between different iceberg faces, as well as within each iceberg face. These findings are reproduced and explained with multiphysics numerical simulations. At high relative ambient velocities melting is largest on the side facing the flow, and mixing during vortex generation causes local increases in basal melt rates of over 50%. Double-diffusive buoyancy effects become significant when the relative ambient velocity is low. Existing melting parametrizations do not reproduce our findings. We propose several corrections to capture the influence of aspect ratio on iceberg melting.

We use laboratory experiments and theoretical modeling to investigate the surface expression of a subglacial discharge plume, as occurs at many fjords around Greenland. The experiments consider a fountain that is released vertically into a homogeneous fluid, adjacent either to a vertical or a sloping wall, that then spreads horizontally at the free surface before sinking back to the bottom. We present a model that separates the fountain into two separate regions: a vertical fountain and a horizontal, negatively buoyant jet. The model is compared to laboratory experiments that are conducted over a range of volume fluxes, density differences, and ambient fluid depths. It is shown that the nondimensionalized length, width, and aspect ratio of the surface expression are dependent on the Froude number, calculated at the start of the negatively buoyant jet. The model is applied to observations of the surface expression from a Greenland subglacial discharge plume. In the case where the discharge plume reaches the surface with negative buoyancy the model can be used to estimate the discharge properties at the base of the glacier.

We examine the dissolution of a sloping solid surface driven by turbulent compositional convection. The scaling analysis presented by Kerr & McConnochie ( J. Fluid Mech. , vol. 765, 2015, pp. 211–228) for the dissolution of a vertical wall is extended to the case of a sloping wall. The model has no free parameters and no dependence on height. It predicts that while the interfacial temperature and interfacial composition are independent of the slope, the dissolution velocity is proportional to $\cos ^{2/3}\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}$ , where $\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}$ is the angle of the sloping surface to the vertical. The analysis is tested by comparing it with laboratory measurements of the ablation of a sloping ice wall in contact with salty water. We apply the model to make predictions of the turbulent convective dissolution of a sloping ice shelf in the polar oceans.

The calving of icebergs accounts for a significant fraction of the mass loss from both the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets. Iceberg melting affects the water properties impacting sea ice formation, local circulation and biological activity. Laboratory experiments have investigated the effects of the Earth’s rotation on iceberg melting and the possible formation of Taylor columns (TCs) underneath icebergs. It is found that at high Rossby number, $Ro$ , when rotation is weak compared to advection, iceberg melting is unaffected by the background rotation. As $Ro$ decreases, the melt rate shows an increasing trend, which is expected to reverse for very low $Ro$ . This behaviour is explained by considering the integrated horizontal velocity at the base of the iceberg. For moderate $Ro$ , a partial TC is formed and its effective blocking accelerates the flow under the remainder of the iceberg, which increases the melt rate since the melting is proportional to the flow velocity. It is expected that for very low $Ro$ the melt rate decreases because, with the expansion of the TC, the region of flow acceleration occurs away from the base of the iceberg. For low free stream velocity the freshwater produced by the ice melting introduces another dynamical effect. It is observed that there is a threshold free stream velocity below which the melt rate is constant. This is explained with the formation of a gravity current at the base of the iceberg that insulates it from the free flow and controls its melting.

Numerical models of ice-ocean interactions typically rely upon a parameterization for the transport of heat and salt to the ice face that has not been satisfactorily validated by observational or experimental data. We compare laboratory experiments of ice-saltwater interactions to a common numerical parameterization and find a significant disagreement in the dependence of the melt rate on the fluid velocity. We suggest a resolution to this disagreement based on a theoretical analysis of the boundary layer next to a vertical heated plate, which results in a threshold fluid velocity of approximately 4 cm/s at driving temperatures between 0.5 and 4°C, above which the form of the parameterization should be valid.

We investigate the effect of an external freshwater plume on the dissolution of a vertical ice wall in salty water using laboratory experiments. We measure the plume velocity, the ablation velocity of the ice and the temperature at the ice wall. The freshwater volume flux, Q(s), is varied between experiments to determine where the resultant wall plume transitions from being dominated by the distributed buoyancy flux due to dissolution of the ice, to being dominated by the initial buoyancy flux, B-s. We find that when B-s is significantly larger than the distributed buoyancy flux from dissolution, the plume velocity is uniform with height and is proportional to B-s(1/3), the interface temperature is independent of B-s, and the ablation velocity increases with B-s.

We investigate experimentally the effect of stratification on a vertical ice face dissolving into cold salty water. We measure the interface temperature, ablation velocity and turbulent plume velocity over a range of salinity gradients and compare our measurements with results of similar experiments without a salinity gradient (Kerr & McConnochie, J. Fluid Mech, vol. 765, 2015, pp. 211-228; McConnochie & Kerr, J. Fluid Mech., vol. 787, 2016, pp. 237-253). We observe that stratification acts to reduce the ablation velocity, interface temperature, plume velocity and plume acceleration. We define a stratification parameter, S = N-2/Phi(0), that describes where stratification will he important, where N is the Brunt-Vaisala frequency, Q is the height-dependent plume volume flux and Phi(0) is the buoyancy flux per unit area without stratification. The relevance of this stratification parameter is supported by our experiments, which deviate from the homogeneous theory at approximately S = 1. Finally, we calculate values for the stratification parameter at a number of ice shelves and conclude that ocean stratification will have a significant effect on the dissolution of both the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets.