loading page

Diapycnal Mixing Induced by Rough Small-Scale Bathymetry
  • +5
  • Julia Christin Muchowski,
  • Lars Arneborg,
  • Lars Umlauf,
  • Peter Ludwig Holtermann,
  • Ezra Eisbrenner,
  • Christoph Humborg,
  • Martin Jakobsson,
  • Christian Stranne
Julia Christin Muchowski
Stockholm University

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

Author Profile
Lars Arneborg
Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute
Author Profile
Lars Umlauf
Leibniz-Institute for Baltic Sea Research (IOW)
Author Profile
Peter Ludwig Holtermann
Leibniz-Institute for Baltic Sea Research (IOW)
Author Profile
Ezra Eisbrenner
Department of Meteorology, Stockholm University
Author Profile
Christoph Humborg
Department of Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry, Stockholm University
Author Profile
Martin Jakobsson
Department of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University
Author Profile
Christian Stranne
Stockholm University
Author Profile

Abstract

We investigate the effect of extremely rough bathymetry on energy dissipation and mixing in a coastal region characterized by small-scale seafloor features penetrating a strongly-stratified density interface of comparable vertical scale. Our data from the non-tidal Baltic Sea include shear microstructure measurements and observations from a broadband echosounder, here used to resolve the extreme variability and intermittency of stratified turbulence in the vicinity of obstacles. Scale analysis and acoustic imaging of small-scale turbulent motions suggest that the underlying mixing mechanisms are related to topographic wake eddies and, to a smaller extent, to breaking internal waves near the bathymetric features. Vertical diffusivities exceed those at a nearby reference station with smooth bathymetry by up to two orders of magnitude. Our study emphasizes the importance of rough small-scale (< 1 km) bathymetric features for energy dissipation and vertical turbulent transport in coastal areas shaped by e.g., glacial, tectonic, or volcanic processes.