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An experimental study of the dynamic response of non-rotating, stratified reservoirs to the application of surface shear stresses is presented. The experiments were made using two-layered and linear stratifications; a moving belt was used to supply a shear stress to the fluid. Detailed measurements of the density field show that upwelling occurs at all values of the Wedderburn number, W , rather than only occurring when W < 1. Differences between the two-layer theory and the present observations are attributed to the fact that the experimental stratifications were continuous, rather than layered. Shearflow dispersion is observed to be an important mechanism for distributing the effects of localized upwelling over the entire length of the mixed layer. A model of mixed-layer deepening based on upwelling and shearflow dispersion is presented and is compared to the observations of this and other experimental studies.
Stephen G. Monismith (Wed,) studied this question.