Lodovical Illari (MIT), Amala Mahadevan (BU) and I presented a series of experiments at the Boston Museum of Science during the Earth Sciences Week in October 2009. Amala presented the non-rotating experiments showing the effect of density layering or stratification in setting up the ocean/atmospheric circulation, while I conducted the dye-stirring experiments demonstrating the importance of Earth’s rotation. Lodovica and her student showed the formation of eddies by combining the effects of rotation and stratification by forming eddies in the tank!

Debbie Schwartz sent a picture of convection cells observed in the rotating tank. We did a bunch of dye-stirring experiments for the attendees at the Working Waterfront Festival in NewBedford MA this year. The day was dry and windy, and there was evaporation at the surface of the water. When the water was stirred and the dye introduced we saw the beautiful vertically coherent Taylor curtains. After 15-20 minutes or so though, the water was back to nearly solid body rotation, and evaporation at the surface made the water cold and heavy due to latent heat loss. The dye at the surface made the rotating convection cells visible as in this picture.