Hydraulic Model Experiments of the Effect of Global Warming on a Model Lake

Abstract

   Hydraulic model experiment is carried out to reproduce thermally-induced circulations in a model lake like Lake Biwa, including the effect of earth's rotation. In order to take the topographic heat accumulation effect into account, peltier devices are arranged along the coast of the distorted model for heating and cooling of coastal waters. As a result, the experiment reproduces the counterclockwise and clockwise gyres during heated and cooled durations, respectively. However, during cooled duration, the velocity of water current is smaller than that of observation and numerical simulation due to weak vertical mixing. Hence this experiment shows that complete vertical mixing of waters in winter may be ceased as atmospheric temperature rises due to global warming.[This abstract is not included in the PDF]