Turbulence and Mixing in Holmboe Waves

Motivated by the tendency of high-Prandtl-number fluids to form sharp density interfaces, the authors investigate the evolution of Holmboe waves in a stratified shear flow through direct numerical simulation. Like their better-known cousins, Kelvin–Helmholtz waves, Holmboe waves lead the flow to a turbulent state in which rapid irreversible mixing takes place. In both cases, significant mixing also takes place prior to the transition to turbulence. Although Holmboe waves grow more slowly than Kelvin–Helmholtz waves, the net amount of mixing is comparable. It is concluded that Holmboe instability represents a potentially important mechanism for mixing in the ocean