Principal Investigator Raffaele Ferrari
Seawater sinks around Antarctica because the cold temperatures make it so dense that it plunges to the ocean bottom. These waters are then brought back up to the surface by turbulent mixing. Turbulence consists of rapid erratic motions like the ones we feel on a rough airplane ride, or, which we generate with a spoon when we try to mix sugar in coffee. The turbulent motions mix the cold waters back to the surface much like giant spoons stirring the ocean abyss. The group studies what processes drive this turbulent mixing.