Copepod response behavior in turbulence

Abstract

The objective of this thesis is to determine copepod response to turbulence generated by obstacles in cross flow. Mainly, flow and copepod response downstream a square fractal grid is examined but experiments downstream a cylinder provides comparison. This is done by simultaneously measuring the copepods position and velocity using 3D-PTV in a measurement volume and measuring the two dimensional three component velocity vectors of the flow using stereo PIV. These measurements are done in a way that does not elicit copepod response. Tomographic PIV is done downstream the square fractal grid without copepods to gain volumetric velocity knowledge of the flow in the measurement volume. Copepods are known to execute sudden high speed jumps (or escapes) in response to sensed hydrodynamic signals. The fractal grid was shown to elicit copepod escape, specifically directly downstream with escape frequency decreasing further downstream where turbulence levels were much lower. It was found that at a slower freestream speed copepods exhibited jumps not in reaction to flow disturbances but to reorient themselves (cruise swimming). There was almost no copepod response in the wake of a cylinder, but copepods again exhibited cruise swimming behavior at a slower freestream speed. In regions with high maximum principal strain rate (MPSR) downstream of the fractal grid, copepods were observed to exhibit multiple escapes. Moreover, copepods were observed to jump towards regions of lower turbulence and against the freestream direction. From stereo PIV, instantaneous 2D MPSR values of less than 3s^(-1) were shown to create escape in 60% of copepod escapes analyzed. Finally, it was found that on average larger MPSR resulted in larger jumps from copepods.