Horizontal convection in stratified systems

Overturning circulation due to horizontal density gradients, also known as horizontal convection (HC), is a ubiquitous natural process observed in lakes, oceans, and

atmospheres. HC often occurs in stratified systems, leading to a competition between the stabilizing effect of background stratification and the destabilizing effects of baroclinic adjustment. This competition ultimately determines the fluid dynamics of the stratified HC (SHC) system. We theoretically derived the intrinsic length scale of SHC, the entrainment depth of the overturning circulation, based on the available potential energy of the system. We performed laboratory-scale experiments of SHC to demonstrate the significance of this length scale. Furthermore, the fluid dynamics of SHC, including flow structures, fluid transports, and mechanical energy partitions, is discussed with and without the influence of basin-topography is discussed.