Oceanic double-infusion: introduction

Double-diffusion, the mixing of fluids with two constituents of different molecular diffusivities, was originally discovered in the mid-1800s, forgotten, then rediscovered as an ‘oceanographic curiosity’ a century later. Many oceanographers suspect that double-diffusion has major effects on oceanic water masses and circulation, but direct measurement of the effects has proven difficult. In 1996, a Working Group was formed under the auspices of the Scientific Committee on Ocean Research (SCOR WG108), with the goal to identify progress and barriers to quantifying oceanic double-diffusive fluxes, and make recommendations for further progress. This document gives a brief history of double-diffusion, a review of evidence of its potential effects in the ocean, and gives an overview of the review articles contained in this volume, written by the Working Group members with the above aim in mind.