Work

Spatiotemporal scales of motion and particle clustering in free-surface turbulence

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This study examines how underwater turbulence shapes the movement and clustering of floating particles with relevance to environmental processes like micro-plastic dispersion or oil spills. Experiments in water tunnels were conducted, generating controlled turbulence beneath a flat surface. We find that floating particles form clusters matching the size and duration of large underwater swirls, persisting as long as these turbulent structures exist. While the water surface appears calm, hidden three-dimensional turbulence below creates surface flows with two-dimensional-like features, trapping particles in long-lived vortices.

Source: Physical Review Fluids

DOI: 10.1103/physrevfluids.10.034602

Authors: Yaxing Li, Henri Sanness Salmon, Roumaissa Hassaini, Kelken Chang, Claudio Mucignat, Filippo Coletti

Institutions: ETH Zurich, Zhejiang University, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Language: English

Topic: Fluid Dynamics and Turbulent Flows

Subfield: Computational Mechanics

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Science Foundation, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung

Award: Transport of plastic particles floating on turbulent waters