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  4. Minimal model for double diffusion and its application to Kivu, Nyos, and Powell Lake
 
research article

Minimal model for double diffusion and its application to Kivu, Nyos, and Powell Lake

Toffolon, Marco
•
Wüest, Alfred  
•
Sommer, Tobias
2015
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans

Double diffusion originates from the markedly different molecular diffusion rates of heat and salt in water, producing staircase structures under favorable conditions. The phenomenon essentially consists of two processes: molecular diffusion across sharp interfaces and convective transport in the gravitationally unstable layers. In this paper, we propose a model that is based on the one-dimensional description of these two processes only, and—by self-organization—is able to reproduce both the large-scale dynamics and the structure of individual layers, while accounting for different boundary conditions. Two parameters characterize the model, describing the time scale for the formation of unstable water parcels and the optimal spatial resolution. Theoretical relationships allow for the identification of the influence of these parameters on the layer structure and on the mass and heat fluxes. The performances of the model are tested for three different lakes (Powell, Kivu, and Nyos), showing a remarkable agreement with actual microstructure measurements.

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Type
research article
DOI
10.1002/2015JC010970
Web of Science ID

WOS:000363470300018

Author(s)
Toffolon, Marco
Wüest, Alfred  
Sommer, Tobias
Date Issued

2015

Publisher

American Geophysical Union

Published in
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
Volume

120

Issue

9

Start page

6202

End page

6224

Subjects

double diffusion

•

temperature

•

salinity

•

lake

•

heat flux

•

numerical model

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

OTHER

EPFL units
APHYS  
Available on Infoscience
November 18, 2015
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/120693
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