Effect of the Non-monotonic Dependence of the Water Density on Temperature on Convection Induced by Cooling from above

Abstract

Temperature distributions on the depth typical for deep lakes of middle latitudes were reproduced in the laboratory conditions. In these lakes, a thick bottom layer of water with an invariable temperature exists regardless of season. It is shown that the non-monotonic dependence of the density of water on temperature plays determining role in the existence of such distributions. Flow patterns obtained by visualization and quantitative data on changes of the water temperature in time and space are presented.