Many of us are probably
familiar with convection driven in a fluid both by heating from below
and/or cooling from above and by heating/cooling through
opposite vertical walls. However, what does convection look like if heating
and cooling are applied at the same
horizontal level (this flow is termed 'horizontal convection')? Our
current research is addressing this question using laboratory
experiments, theoretical modelling and numerical simulations.
Developing
an understanding of horizontal convection is crucial to answering
outstanding questions concerning the role of surface buoyancy
forcing in the circulation of the global oceans (in which surface
waters
are subject to net heating at equatorial latitudes and net
cooling/freshwater input toward polar latitudes).
