Thermo-haline staircases in double-diffusive convection
| When |
Nov 10, 2026
from 11:00 to 12:00 |
|---|---|
| Contact Name | Louis Couston |
| Attendees |
Paul PRUZINA |
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Across large regions of the earth's oceans, observations reveal the presence of thermo-haline staircases: stepped structres consisting of well-mixed layers of near constant temperature and salinity, separated by narrow interfaces with large density gradients. Despite significant progress across several decades, precise descriptions of how these staircases form, and how they will evolve, are still not well-constrained. In the generally accepted theory, layering is presented as an essentially one-dimensional anti-diffusive process, and recent models have been developed within this framework which go some way to explaining the underlying instabilities. However, major open questions still remain; I will summarise some of these, and outline potential pathways for improvement.