Geometry of Spatially Varying Solar Radiation Intensity Affects Buoyancy Driven Flow in Ice Covered Lakes

In this talk, I present the results of three, three-dimensional high resolution, non-hydrostatic simulations subjected to spatially heterogeneous solar radiation intensity in the cold-water regime (< 4 °C). Each simulation has a shadowed region (intensity reduced by 90%) at the edge of the domain with a different shape. The three shapes are a quarter circle, a rectangle and a quarter ellipse. Lateral intrusions develop in the horizontal away from the shadowed region along the surface and interact with Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instabilities that develop away from the shadowed region. Initially, each case exhibits strong symmetry in the azimuthal (circle and ellipse) or transverse (rectangle) direction that eventually breaks down at the intrusion front as the RT instabilities grow. The depth and timescales of the intrusion change depending on the geometry of the shadowed region.