| Abstract: | The flow patterns induced by floats of different shapes (sphere, short and long cylinders) freely sinking to the neutral-buoyancy horizon in a continuously stratified fluid are investigated using optical methods. General flow elements, both large-scale (waves, vortices, hydrodynamic wake) and fine-scale (boundary layers, extended autocumulative jets), are distinguished. For large times, the float oscillation frequencies are of the order of or greater than the buoyancy frequency of the medium. This indicates the significant effect of the induced flows on the motion of the float. |
