Hydrothermal plumes trapped by thermal stratification

Abstract

Hydrothermal plume penetration through density interfaces has been widely studied in laboratory experiments. It has been found that competition between plume buoyancy and background stratification (parameterised as the Richardson number) is crucial in determining whether or not the plume will penetrate through a density interface. In this paper, we present the analysis of field data concerning two hydrothermal sediment-laden plumes in a stratified lake. Measurements of the particle concentration within these plumes have been used to determine their vertical, spatial and temporal development in the water column. The results show that neither of the plumes penetrate the lake thermoclines for large Richardson numbers, which is in accordance with the results found in laboratory experiments. Copyright 2003 by the American Geophysical Union.