Coriolis platform – Adventures in Oceanography and Teaching

We discovered a new galaxy! Or at least a very pretty vortex

mglessmer — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 05:30:06 +0000

When we move our wall back and forth, we create very strong wing tip vortices that persist for quite a long time. Above, you see the vortex, lit by a laser sheet close to the surface. You can see the whole column rotating as one, that bright smudge below the swirl is the lower part […]

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“No one believes a theory, except the theorist. Everyone believes an experiment — except the experimenter.”

mglessmer — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 05:35:25 +0000

Different types of experiments, and why we use such a weirdly-shaped “Antarctica” and are happy with it. When we want to show people images of our model experiments in a tank, people often imagine that they will be shown cute little miniature landscapes, looking much like the ones you see for really fancy model train setups. And then they are […]

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How to make sure the properties of water in a tank experiment are just right

mglessmer — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 05:36:59 +0000

For all our experiments here on the rotating platform in Grenoble, we have had a source, introducing an artificial current into our water-filled tank. With flow rates between 15 l/min and 60 l/min, and experiments running for about half an hour, that is a lot of water that has to come out of the source! […]

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Closing off our channel at the ice-shelf end to avoid unrealistic outflow

mglessmer — Fri, 20 Oct 2017 05:53:01 +0000

We are very deep into discussing all the different ice shelf experiments that have happened so far. As you see above, the white board in our office is filled with drawings of our interpretations of the experiments. And as you know, things don’t always go exactly as planned. Or, in fact, most of the time […]

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And now on to even more realistic ice shelves!

mglessmer — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 05:54:13 +0000

We have already described experiments where our ice shelf was tilted, making the setup a little more realistic* than before (link here). But then later that day, we did two more experiments! And this time, the ice shelf wasn’t just tilted, it was also not going up all the way to the surface (or, well, […]

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What a day in the Coriolis lab looks like

mglessmer — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 05:55:32 +0000

You have seen plenty of images of our experiments over the last weeks (and if you have not, scroll back on the blog!). Time to show you what a day in the Coriolis lab looks like for us! Above, you see Nadine and Adrian watching experiments. For each experiment, we spend approximately 30 to 40 minutes […]

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What happens when a current meets an obstacle? Topographic steering

mglessmer — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 05:54:51 +0000

As long as water depth and latitude stay the same, a current usually happily goes straight forward. However, a large part of what we are doing at the Coriolis tank in Grenoble has to do with what happens to ocean currents when they meet topography, so sea mounts, ridges or troughs under the water, and what […]

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Tilting the ice shelf! Or: Our experiments are getting more realistic

mglessmer — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 05:56:17 +0000

Until now, we have used an “ice shelf” (a plastic box) which had a horizontal bottom (Read more about the general setup of the experiment in Nadine’s post). The bottom of the ice shelf was either right at the water’s surface, or lowered down into the water. What we see then is shown in the gif below, […]

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Investigating ocean currents in a rotating swimming pool

mglessmer — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 16:03:34 +0000

Reposting from Sci/Why “where Canadian children’s writers discuss science, words, and the eternal question – why?” — Have you ever wondered what happens when you put a 13-m-diameter swimming pool on a merry-go-round? Probably not. But I am here to tell you today about what happens when you do just that, and what you can learn […]

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Looking at our current’s structure over depth

mglessmer — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 10:55:11 +0000

For our scientific analyses, we look at the flow field at several discrete levels throughout the water depth. But we can — just for fun! — look at them almost continuously while the scanner is moving up and down, and that’s what I want to show you today. Isn’t it cool how the flow is […]

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Coriolis platform – Adventures in Oceanography and Teaching

We discovered a new galaxy! Or at least a very pretty vortex

“No one believes a theory, except the theorist. Everyone believes an experiment — except the experimenter.”

How to make sure the properties of water in a tank experiment are *just right*

Closing off our channel at the ice-shelf end to avoid unrealistic outflow

And now on to even more realistic ice shelves!

What a day in the Coriolis lab looks like

What happens when a current meets an obstacle? Topographic steering

Tilting the ice shelf! Or: Our experiments are getting more realistic

Investigating ocean currents in a rotating swimming pool

Looking at our current’s structure over depth

How to make sure the properties of water in a tank experiment are just right