Turbulent Diffusion

Abstract

From the point of view of the environment, arguably the most important practical property of fluids (i.e. liquids and gases) in motion is how they transport heat and matter. Examples of the latter include the spreading of foreign gases (e.g. SO2, NO2 and many others) and particulates in the atmosphere, the dispersion of plankton in the seas and oceans, and the distribution of salt in estuaries. Nearly all fluid motions in the environment are turbulent. This means that the motion is unpredictable, changing apparently at random in both space and time.