Tjipto Prastowo is a PhD student at the Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University. He is also lecturer at Surabaya State University, Surabaya. He holds his master degree in 2001 from Department of Physics, Bandung Institute of Technology Bandung (ITB), Indonesia with summa cum laude qualification. His bachelor degree is from the 10 Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) in 1992. His academic experiences cover Poster Session in European Geosciences Union (EGU) Conference in Vienna, Austria. He also gave oral presentation to Indonesian Physical Society Conference in Denpasar, Indonesia and to Indonesian Geophysical Society Conference, Jakarta in 2001.
Mixing in density-driven exchange flows with possible applications to The Indonesian Through-Flow
The Indonesian Through-Flow (ITF) is a system of surface currents flowing from the western Pacific Ocean through numerous straits and sills within Indonesian seas into the Indian Ocean. The ITF carries a large amount of heat and water, thereby affecting climate on both regional and global scales. The magnitude and variability of the Through-Flow are still not well-known calling for more comprehensive studies by direct measurements, numerical simulations or laboratory experiments. This paper based on laboratory experiments to study the characteristics of mixing in density-driven exchange flows. The experiments have particular relevance to improving predictions of mixing in deep overflows, as well as to understanding the dynamics of exchange flows between water bodies such as estuaries, marginal seas and the open ocean. Vigorous turbulence is observed in all experiments, which leads to irreversible mixing and a reduction in exchange flux compared with theoretical predictions based on hydraulic theory. Possible applications of the experimental results to the ITF will be discussed.
