Internal wave excitation from a collapsing mixed region

The collapse of a uniform density fluid (a “mixed region”) into a surrounding ambient fluid with complex stratification is examined by way of laboratory experiments and fully nonlinear numerical simulations. The analysis focuses upon the consequent generation of internal gravity waves and their influence upon the evolution of the collapsing mixed region. In experiments and simulations for which the ambient fluid has uniform density over the vertical extent of the mixed region and is stratified below, we find the mixed region collapses to form an intrusive gravity current and internal waves are excited in the underlying stratified fluid. The amplitude of the waves is weak in the sense that the intrusion is not significantly affected by the waves. However, scaling the results to the surface mixed layer of the ocean we find that the momentum flux associated with the waves can be as large as 1 N / m 2 . In simulations for which the ambient fluid is stratified everywhere, including over the vertical extent of the mixed region, we find that internal waves are excited with such large amplitude that the collapsing mixed region is distorted through strong interactions with the waves.