On the structure and dynamics of stratified wakes generated by submerged propagating objects

ABSTRACTThe structure and intensity of the intermediate wake generated by a submerged propagating body in a stratified fluid was studied using a combination of (i) numerical simulations, (ii) field measurements, and (iii) laboratory experiments. The numerical component offered guidance for the field work performed in Monterey Bay (CA, USA) in the summer of 2015. The field work focused on subsurface thermal signatures of a submerged propagating object. Vertical temperature profiles suggested that long-term changes in thermal stratification can occur after the passage of a towed body. Horizontal temperature variability, measured by an autonomous underwater vehicle facilitated the identification of the wake using perturbation temperature variance as the key diagnostic variable. Analogous thermal signatures of stratified wakes were found in ocean observations and in modelling results. The influence of the tow ship on the wake was shown to be minimal. Laboratory experiments focused on the surface expression of...