Mixing regimes for the flow of dense fluid down slopes into stratified environments

Abstract

Downslope flows into density-stratified environments have been observed to have the character of detraining gravity currents on small slopes, and of entraining plumes on steep slopes. In this paper, observations of flows on slopes of intermediate (20) steepness are described, and their mixing properties quantified. Both gravity-current-like and plume-like flows are observed, and an observational boundary between these two types is identified. Theoretical models for the bulk properties of these flows are presented, and their predictions are compared with the observations. A theoretical criterion is derived for the limit of applicability of the gravity-current model in terms of the Buoyancy number, the bottom slope and the bottom drag coefficient. This provides a criterion for the boundary between the plume-like and gravity-current-like flows, which is consistent with the observations. These results have implications for the modelling of downslope flows in nature, and indicate where the appropriate dynamical model may change from one type to the other.