Abstract
Exchange flow of saline and fresh waters on the sloping bottom has been experimentally studied. Both undertow along the bottom and the compensating upper flow are treated. It has been found that the initial motion of inclined thermal is well described by bottom slope and scales of time, length and velocity determined by the initial volume and initial density exess of saline water. The growth rate of the maximum depth of underflow in this experiment is fairly smaller than that of the flow in which the influence of water surface is negligible. Densimetric Froude number of the front of underflow is almost constant, and the value increases as the bottom slope becomes steeper. Densimetiic Froude number of the compensating upper flow is about one, and the depth is 0.2-0.3 times the depth of gate position. The direction of circulation inside the density front is explained dynamically.
