3D Simulations of the Interior of an Ice-Covered Lake subjected to Spatially Heterogeneous Solar Radiation Intensity

In this talk, I present the results of 3D high resolution, non-hydrostatic simulations subjected to spatially heterogeneous solar radiation intensity in the cold-water regime (< 4 °C). Spatial variations in optical properties of ice or snow cover leads to these conditions. In these simulations, solar radiation is shadowed by 90% in a circular region at the corner of the computational domain. We find that lateral intrusions develop in the horizontal away from the shadowed region along the surface. These intrusions interact with Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities that develop away from the shadowed region, modifying their properties and enhancing local turbulence production.