In 1915, G. I. Taylor was awarded the Adams Prize at the University of Cambridge for an essay entitled ‘Turbulent motion in fluids’, which included, among many other brilliant contributions, a description of observations made in direct response to the loss of the Titanic. In this talk, I will show how the key ideas of this 100-year-old essay remain absolutely central to modelling turbulent motions in stratified fluids even today. In particular, I will review the accumulating evidence that layering of the density stratification is ubiquitous, in that a vertical density distribution with multiple deep “layers” of relatively well-mixed fluid, separated by thin “interfaces” of substantially enhanced density gradient, is generic in geophysically relevant flows. In light of this evidence, I will highlight the truly impressive continued relevance of Taylor’s insights to recent advances in our understanding of transition, turbulence and mixing in shear flows of such layered fluids.
BP Institute & DAMTP, University of Cambridge.