Coriolis rotating basin

The 5 m diameter Coriolis rotating basin is used to study physical processes in coastal and shelf waters affected by the rotation of the earth.

The laboratory tests performed in the rotating basin include:

• Study of whirls in the Norwegian coastal current
• Forecasting ocean currents in the northern North Sea
• Model forecast for the Eddy Tracking Experiment (1986)
• Simulation of the the transport of waste heat from a power plant
• Ocean circulation on the central Norwegian continental shelf
• Effect of river regulation on the circulation in Boknafjorden
• Model of the ocean currents in the Barents Sea
• Simulation of the ocean circulation around Lofoten
• Model of the ocean circulation in the Kara Sea

The laboratory simulations performed in the rotating basin has led to significant improvements in strategies for developing relevant hydrodynamic numerical models.

The physical processes studied in the laboratory are monitored using i.e. coloured dye and buoyant particles. The motion of buoyant particles can be monitored and analysed using video cameras enabling 3D particle tracking velocimetry (PTV). This PTV system was significantly upgraded during the EC-funded project HYDRIV (2000-2003).

For further information contact: Thomas McClimans